Family and friends of missing St. Albert couple Lyle and Marie McCann gathered together Saturday to celebrate the couple's lifelong love together and mourn their tragic disappearance.
The St. Albert Catholic Church on Mission Avenue was packed with those who came to say goodbye.
With the mournful sounds of k.d. lang's rendition of Leonard Cohen's Hallelujah and Etta James' At Last playing, the hundreds in the church were asked to think not of the couple's tragic death, but of their deep love for family and each other.
On what would have been the couple's 59th wedding anniversary, all of the speakers talked about the enduring relationship they shared. Mourners were given two rose petals and asked to put them in urns that will be placed at the couple's funeral plot.
Lyle's sister-in-law Mary Lou McCann thanked God for the example the couple set in their relationship that others could follow.
“We thank you for the strength and peace they brought.”
She also asked God to help guide the investigators still trying to solve the mystery of the couple's disappearance and the search and rescue volunteers who have helped on the dozens of searches that have happened since last year.
Nicole Walshe, the couple's eldest granddaughter, gave the eulogy, remembering each for what they brought to her life.
She remembered her grandfather as a humorous and brilliant storyteller, who always had the attention of the room. “You could just sit for hours and learn so much.”
Storytelling was not his only gift Walshe said; he was also an excellent listener who always had time for people and “made everyone in his presence feel important.”
Kelly Carrol, the couple's niece, echoed that view and said Lyle was genuinely interested whenever he asked, “How you doin' darling?”
“He really wanted to know how you were doing, what was going on in your life. He really wanted to know it all.”
Walshe also remembered her grandmother, who was a stay-at-home mother while Lyle worked as a long-haul trucker. Walshe said her grandmother was a great cook and a beautiful woman. “I thank you for teaching me about really great food,” she said. “You will always be a lady of style and grace in our hearts.”
Walshe said her grandmother would live on in her recipes handed down to her grandchildren and her great-grandchildren.
Walshe said her grandparents' home was always a home for their whole family. “It was a place you always wanted to be and always felt welcome.”
Walshe arrived at the service carrying her infant daughter, who her grandparents never got to meet. She said together, the couple's care and compassion for one another showed a path forward for all of their children and grandchildren.
“Thank for showing me that love is the foundation of a happy family.”
The couple was legally declared dead last week, more than a year after they disappeared. They were last seen leaving St. Albert on July 3, 2010 and the RCMP are still actively pursuing the investigation.
The family has insisted that Saturday's service is not the end of their search for answers.
