Mother mourns 'loving' son who was victim in fatal boating incident
The mother of a young man killed in a boating incident is remembering her son for his loving nature and dedication to his dream of becoming an airline pilot.
Jacqueline Mina said she's "travelling a road nobody wants to travel" six days after her son, Miguel Vincent Mina Estrada, died following a boating incident off the shore of the eastern New Brunswick community of Richibucto.
"This is very tragic," Mina said in a phone interview.
"It's something that a parent like me … would never ever expect to happen."
RCMP said they got a call at about 6:15 p.m. last Saturday about an individual who had been struck by a boat.
The 19-year-old Estrada, from Saint-Louis-de-Kent, died at the scene, the RCMP said in a news release the next day.
RCMP spokespersons said little about the tragedy at the time and have not responded to multiple requests for information about how it occurred.
Mina said she was not with her son when he died, so she did not want to talk about what happened.
A new life in New Brunswick
Estrada and his 15-year-old brother moved to New Brunswick from the Philippines in 2021, joining their mother, who'd moved to the province a few years earlier.
Mina said Estrada loved New Brunswick and settled into his new life as a student at Bonar Law Memorial High School in Rexton.
He graduated last year and had set his sights on fulfilling his lifelong dream of becoming an airline pilot.
Estrada dreamed of a career as an airline pilot and was enrolled at the Moncton Flight College, says his mother, Jacqueline Mina. (Thompson Funeral Home)
"[He] never changed his plan, never changed his dream," Mina said. "And once he puts his heart in it, he will work hard for it, and I was just there to support him.
"I mean, his dream is my dream. There's nothing more a mom or a parent would dream rather than to see their son become successful of what they wanted to become, right?"
Mina said her son had been attending Moncton Flight College, an expensive pursuit, but one she was fully on board with.
"I said, 'I'll be with you all the way,'" she said, remembering how she quelled his concerns about the tuition cost.
She said her son imagined himself eventually working for an international airline, and at the same time, branching out into real estate investment.
With his career ambitions came a softer side, which Mina said was reflected in the way he treated her, his younger brother, and his friends.
"He was such a very loving kid. Very, very loving kid," Mina said.
"I will never forget my son."
A funeral is planned for 11 a.m. on Monday at the Saint-Louis-de-Gonzague Roman Catholic Church in Richibucto.
