In the wake of the passing of community member Joemarie Villegas “Joe” Tan Dec. 4, Athabascans are showing their support and care for the three young daughters and wife he left behind, as well as sharing their remembrances.
Close to 110 people showed up to his memorial last Wednesday at the Athabasca Missionary Church, led by Pastor Trevor Yeaman.
Donations are being collected at the Husky gas bar, where 37-year-old Joe worked, in support of the Tan family, among other community initiatives to raise money for the Tans.
The Northern Lights Spiritus Singers collected $8,700 in donations for the Tan family throughout their four-day Christmas concert from Dec. 12–15.
“He was a pretty friendly man,” recalled Northern Lights Spiritus Singers executive member Gerry Kiselyk.
Joe was originally from the Philippines and came to Canada in January 2009. He was among the first of what is now several Husky employees from the Philippines.
Joe was a serious photographer. He graduated from an 80-hour course in the fundamentals of digital photography at the New York Institute of Technology in 2012.
In Athabasca, he photographed weddings and functions and was an active member of the Athabasca Photography Facebook group, where he never shied away from showcasing his family to the world.
Despite this, Joe was a private man, but he warmed up to people in an endearing way. He listened, and anyone who took the time to get to know him always had his ear.
Husky employee Josette Sasabo worked with Joe during his first year at the Husky on day shift, before Joe transferred to the graveyard shift.
“Joe, from the first time I met him, was kind of a serious person, but if you know him better, he is funny,” said Sasabo.
She said as their friendship grew, she recognized his work ethic and attention to detail in the way he would ensure the Husky was always stocked up and ready for the next rush of customers.
“He always talked about his family, his kids,” said Sasabo, who recognized Joe’s excitement in snapping photos of his kids.
One fond memory she recalls is Athabasca Husky owner Randy Skarpinsky taking them camping a few years ago. She got to camp out with Joe and Justin Ramos, another Husky employee.
At first, the Filipinos working at the Husky were all living in the same home, said Sasabo, before transferring to other homes. Joe lived among them before his family came from the Philippines.
He worked to make a new life for his family.
With the Advocate being spitting distance away from Husky, and Joe working nights, I can’t count the number of times I strolled over around 11 at night on weekends to take a break from writing.
I’d go in and say, “Hey Joe, whaddaya know?”
“Hey! What’s up, what’s up bro?” he would reply.
I’d buy a jumbo dog but it wouldn’t leave the Husky because I’d munch it down at the counter while we talked photography and the latest photo-thing we’d bought or had on our wish lists. We were both photographers.
He would always ask me what I was working on. He knew I could not tell him, but he expressed interest nonetheless.
He was going to sell me a lens. And he always teased me about getting a Nikon 70-200mm f/2.8 lens because he had one and knew I wanted one. If one day I pick one up, I’ll call it Joe.
We would talk each other through those stressful photo shoot moments. Even on my most stressful nights, I knew all I had to do was take a stroll over to Husky to be relieved of that even for five minutes.
That was the gift Joe brought into my life.
The best thing I can do now in his memory is to shoot great photos and care about good photography, good lighting and great composition.
I’m glad the last thing I said to him, two nights before he passed, was, “There you go, Joe; I went to bat for you,” with regards to one of his photos that was critiqued.
Then a bunch of folks strolled in. He was busy, and though he could not answer, I told him I’d see him later, fully expecting I would.
He was one of my best friends in town, and I will miss him dearly.
- Hamish McKillop
