Funeral for teen friends killed in Gilbert Plains car crash celebrates ’beautiful souls and lives’

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This article was published 14/04/2023 (959 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

The night before a horrific collision that killed Le Rouxan (Lenny) Niemann and three of his teenage friends in Gilbert Plains, his girlfriend told him she loved him.

“That was the last time I got to see him,” Kali Solski told a large, grieving crowd gathered Friday afternoon in Grandview for the joint funeral of Niemann, 17, and his best friend, Riley Robak, 17.

“No one deserves this — nobody does,” she said, dabbing tears from her eyes. “I tell myself every day how I am going to make him proud.

“I know he would want me to keep living life, and so I am going to promise him that I will. I still text him every day, because I know he is still with me by my side every second of the day.”

Solski, noting the pair had been together a short time but were left with memories to last a lifetime, said: “Some advice I have for all of you is it’s never too early to tell someone you love them and to make the most of your time you have with your friends and family, because you never know.”

On March 29, Le Rouxan and Riley were passengers in a car — along with Christopher Swintak, 18, Alexandra Watt, 18, and Hanna Yurkiw, 15 — when it slammed into the side of a passing semi-trailer at the intersection of Highway 5 and Provincial Road 274.

The three males were pronounced dead at the scene; Watt died soon after in hospital.

Hanna was treated in hospital for several injuries, including broken ribs and leg. She was discharged a week ago, and has been recovering at home.

Gilbert Plains — Le Rouxan and Riley’s hometown — has a community hall, but it was deemed too small to hold the expected crowd, so nearby Grandview’s Kinsmen Community Centre was chosen.

On a stage, two large photos of Le Rouxan and Riley were placed on either side of a screen used during the service to show images of each teen’s lives.

Placed in front of the photos were mementos: basketballs, Riley’s hockey jersey and referee shirt, a sports jersey used by Le Rouxan and a large poster with several photos of him with his girlfriend and the words “Love you to the moon and back.”

The pair were friends, co-workers at the Gilbert Plains Co-op, and students together at the local high school.

“Two boys who have influenced many individuals in their short time with us,” one speaker at the funeral said. “No matter what we say here today, we cannot say enough to explain and express the effect Riley and Lenny had on us all.”

Another described the pair as “competitive, thoughtful, clever, sense of humour, intuitive, friendly attentive, kind, active, positive, co-operative, respectful, lovable, always has a story to tell, Gilbert Plains Collegiate students, GP Co-op employees — all characteristics used to describe both of the beautiful souls and lives that we are here to remember, celebrate and mourn.”

The crowd was told Riley, who played hockey for several community teams over the years, including as assistant captain of the Roblin/Grandview/Gilbert Plains Raiders high school squad, volunteered delivering food to seniors with Meals on Wheels, and was looking forward to graduation before going to the University of Manitoba for agriculture.

Riley would have turned 18 on April 22.

Le Rouxan, who was born and raised in South Africa, before moving with his family to Montana in April 2019, and then Gilbert Plains a year ago, loved science and mathematics and wanted to study to be an agronomist.

Solski said she takes solace from one aspect of their deaths: “I’m glad him and Riley are together, because they were never apart, and I know Riley will take good care of him — because Riley was definitely more responsible.”

Le Rouxan is survived by his parents, two brothers and many relatives in South Africa.

Riley is survived by his parents, two sisters, grandparents, and several relatives.

Both families asked for memorial donations to go to the Gilbert Plains Fire Department. Riley’s family also asked for donations to be directed to the Gilbert Plains Community Foundation.

kevin.rollason@freepress.mb.ca