A St. Albert family and a local rock band have been rocked by the sudden death of a city resident in a B.C. avalanche last week.
Five men from Alberta died Jan. 29 in an avalanche while snowmobiling in the Renshaw Recreation Area near McBride, B.C.
One of them was St. Albert resident Todd William Theodore Chisholm, 47.
Former Morinville resident Jay Holterhus said he learned of Chisholm’s death through his bandmate, Cam Ambrose. The three of them, along Dwayne Schaub and Dean, make up the rock group exit303.
“We’re all gutted,” Holterhus said.
“He was too young.”
Holterhus said Chisholm was one of the founding members of exit303 back in 1999, which has went on tour and released two albums.
A drummer, Chisholm brought an infectious energy to every show and was the “linchpin” to the band.
“People fed off him and we fed off him too,” he said – whenever they felt worn out, all they had to do was to look back at Chisholm banging away and they’d be back on their feet.
“If you saw him play, you’d say, ‘There’s a guy who’s having the time of his life.’ ”
Ambrose said in an email that their most recent show was on Nov. 28-29 at The Drake in Canmore. It was a packed house, and one of their best shows yet.
“Todd was a huge Bon Jovi fan and we had just added Livin’ On A Prayer (to the setlist). He did a perfect rendition of it and the crowd followed right along belting out the chorus.
“They continued to sing many songs with us at the top of their lungs. It was an energetic and magical night. The kind of night that makes you want to keep doing this forever.”
A father of four, Chisholm was a huge fan of the outdoors, particularly snowmobiling, hunting and fishing, and would spend many days at the lake with his family, Holterhus said.
“He loved music, but his family life was everything.”
Holterhus recalled sitting down for lunch with Chisholm in Canmore recently and sharing his concerns about being a new father. Chisholm regaled him with stories about dad-hood and messy diapers and set him at ease.
“He’s the type of guy we all strive to be,” he said – always happy, always generous.
“In this situation we’re in right now, he’d be the first to run up and throw arms around us.”
In a statement to the media, Chisholm’s family said he would be sadly missed by his wife of 18 years, Deanna; his children, Ryley, Matthew, Mason, and Noah; his parents, Colin and Trudy; his siblings, Trina, Terry, and Trevor; and his extended family and friends.
“A lover of life, family, the great outdoors and music, Todd’s early departure from this world will leave an unbelievable void for so many who knew him and for those who never got the chance.”
In a Facebook post, country music star George Canyon said he was “very shocked and saddened” to learn of the passing of Chisholm, whom he called a longtime friend.
“Todd was not only a big part of my career when I first went into the music business but was a dear friend and like a brother all those years ago. My thoughts and prayers go out to his family and friends, he will be dearly missed.
While the band has no shows planned, Holterhus said it’s too soon to say what will become of exit303 now that Chisholm is gone.
“Todd, he was irreplaceable, but I don’t think he would want us to stop.”
A celebration of Chisholm’s life will be held this Feb. 6 at 2 p.m. at the Connelly-McKinley Funeral Home in St. Albert. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that people contribute to the Todd Chisholm Children’s Trust fund at any Royal Bank branch, which will fund the future education of Chisholm’s children.
