'He would want me to be out there': Woman completes Bell Island dive days after husband's death
Most people couldn't imagine going scuba diving three days after losing a loved one, but for Penny Vermeulen that was the best way to honour her husband's memory.
Ian Kinder, 64, passed away suddenly on Sunday while in a boat off the coast of Bell Island. He, Vermeulen and some diving friends were getting ready for an expedition to see some shipwrecks.
Kinder and Vermeulen, who travelled to Newfoundland from Stoney Creek, Ont., with five other divers, had always wanted to see the famed Bell Island wrecks. They decided to make a trip to Newfoundland to do just that — and to give them some cold water experience prior to a planned diving trip to Antartica in 2018.
Despite the shock and grief of losing her husband, Vermeulen said getting back in the water felt right, as diving was a passion they both shared. She said it felt like her husband was down there experiencing it with her, something she expects to experience on all future dives.
"I know he would want me to be out there. Diving today, I could feel him with me, and I knew that he was seeing what I was seeing through my eyes," she told CBC on Wednesday.
"It felt like in spirit he was with me, that it was the right thing. The dives were really good, [I] had a lot of fun. It was great to do that to take my mind off the sorrowful part of this event and bring back some happy memories and laugh."
Passion for a shipwreck
In addition to his passion for scuba diving, Kinder was an author and historian who dedicated his life to researching the famous shipwreck of the Empress of Ireland, which sank to the bottom of the Saint Lawrence River in 1914 and took more than 1,000 people with it.
Kinder wrote two books about the wreck, and he and Vermeulen even had a private tour arranged to explore it following their trip to Newfoundland. Kinder had made attempts to see the shipwreck during his youth, but the dives kept getting cancelled.
Vermeulen now plans to dive to the Empress of Ireland herself one day, and leave a personal item owned by Kinder there to honour his memory.
"It was one of Ian's bucket list things to do, to get down and touch the Empress," she said.
"Unfortunately, he was taken just a little too soon; he didn't get the chance."
The couple brought a stack of Kinder's books about the Empress with them on the Newfoundland trip, with plans to gift them to the other members of their Bell Island dive crew.
On Wednesday, Vermeulen wrote personal messages on each of the books for the five members to thank them for being there for her during such a difficult time.
Grateful for support
Having lost her husband away from home has been challenging, but Vermeulen said there are worse places to be than Newfoundland, given how supportive everyone has been.
"We heard about how wonderful the people are out on the east coast, how friendly they are, and we were not disappointed," she said.
"Everyone has been so wonderful in helping me through this, and I can't thank all the people involved enough for their support."
