Marc Leclerc, closure & memorial
Donation protected
Hello everyone we are closing the go fund me page for Marc Andre. Please have a read below a message for Marc Andre’s Mother Michelle.
With Love and respect.
“We would like to express our gratitude to all those who donated to help Marc Andre’s family and friends throughout the search and subsequent confirmation of Marc Andre’s passing and the aftermath. This has been a long hard journey although in many ways it has barely begun. Your generous donations helped close friends of Marc Andre from the climbing community as well as Marc Andre’s family to be in Alaska for the duration of the search. Our presence played a part in helping Juneau Mountain Rescue and the Troopers narrow the search to where Marc Andre and Ryan were eventually located, sadly the outcome was not the one we hoped and prayed for. Your donations covered last minutes flights, car rentals, assisted with hotel room costs, lost income, and covered the cost of flying by helicopter to the base of the tower. There are no words really that can convey what it is like to stand surrounded by the stark beauty and silence of the Alaskan wilderness a short distance from where the person you love is lost to you, yet feeling so far away. Although it was a very hard thing to do and place to be I am grateful to those of you who contributed to make it possible to be there; it was something our family and Marc Andre’s close friends needed to see and needed to do.
Now that Juneau is behind us your donations are helping Brette, the love of Marc Andre’s life, navigate this new and unexpected road her life has suddenly taken - a road she now walks without the physical presence and support of her life partner but certainly with the constant memory of his deep love for her and with the presence of his spirit, which was too large and too joyful, to ever be lost. Your donations are also assisting with legal costs associated with the challenges presented by a loved one’s ‘presumed death’, as well helping with a small family and friends memorial in Agassiz, a larger community memorial in Squamish, a donation to Juneau Mountain Rescue, compiling Marc Andre’s articles and related media for the future, and for the costs associated with the eventual recovery of Marc Andre’s body.
Your generosity is so appreciated. For every dollar donated it was more than assistance with the unexpected financial fallout of Marc Andre’s loss, it was also the awareness that a community comprised of people near and far, chose to step out of their busy lives for a moment to walk through the valley of the shadow of death with us. Centuries ago the poet John Donne reminded us to ‘Ask not for whom the bell tolls, the bell tolls for thee.’ Those of you who stepped up in this hardest of times reminded us that while grief feels isolating we are not alone and Marc Andre, who was a generous and thoughtful young man, would be very proud of each and every one of you. Thank you.
The family memorial will be held in Agassiz at the Fraser Fishing Lodge on April 11th, at 5pm. The date and location of the Squamish memorial are still be finalized but will be around May 12th. More details will be shared when they are available.”
Michelle Kuipers
It is with great sadness we update this page. Juneau Mountian Rescue along with many experienced Alpinists, friends and family have been on an exhaustive search for Marc’s Andre Leclerc and Ryan Johnson. These two World Class climbers and incredible human beings, were determined overdue on Wed 7, after climbing a new route on the North Face of the Main Tower in the Mendenhall Towers. On Tuesday March 13 their efforts determined that Marc and Ryan are sadly no longer with us.
Marc’s father Serge shares his personal message to us below.
“To all of our friends near and far who have been supporting us and praying for Marc André I wanted you all to hear it from me first hand before it’s in the news. Sadly we have lost 2 really great climbers and I lost a son I am very proud of. Thank you for the support during this difficult time. My heart is so broken...Part of me is gone with him...
Our family appreciates all of your prayers and we would like to ask for a time of privacy as we come to grip with these devastating developments... Marc-André was an amazing, loving man and he has touched many lives in so many ways. He will be remembered and loved forever. I know he is with our Lord and I will be with him again one day. ❤️”
All support for this page will now go to the family and Marc’s partner Brette to manage and deal with the multitude of items they now have in front of them. As well as much needed respite and closure costs they will endure, given the circumstances of Marc and Ryan’s passing in the current location.
Your donations helped fly Marc’s family into the area to retrieve his skies and understand how it all happened. This journey brought much needed peace to everyone who was able to go.
Thank you to everyone for all your messages and contribution. Our community is strong and we will get though this as a loving collective. Our gratitude goes to the Juneau Mountian rescue for all the effort and care they gave to search.
I received this message from a mentor of Marc’s tonight, It speaks to who Marc was for so many.
“I gotta say, I loved that young guy, almost like my kids. his energy and enthusiasm were unparalleled, and infectious. his skills were amazing, of course, but that wasn't what made MA special - it was his ability to 'see' possibilities where no one else could even begin to imagine.”
Arcteryx, Marc’s sponsor has been by the families side and doing everything possible to help. Thank you Justin and John, as well as all the friends, and outdoor community who have helped in so many ways.
Please do not send news inquires to this page. All inquires should be sent to John Irvine [email redacted] he has been appointed as spokesperson for the family.
Please also see Ryan’s page and support Ryan’s son Milo, and family who will need our support and love.
https://www.gofundme.com/ryanandmilo
March 10, 2018
Nathan and I have created this page to help support Marc’s family and friends and his partner Brette travel to Alaska to search for Marc Andre Leclerc and Ryan Johnson. Both climbers did not return as planned from their climb in the In Alaska and due back Wed.
As the days go on the need increases to help with search efforts, travel expenses and bills that need to be covered as they are away from home.
Today Juneau Mountian search and rescue managed to get up in the air. We are waiting for word and are so very thankful for their commitment and hard work.
See article below from local news.
Search and rescue officials are looking for two experienced climbers who are overdue to return from a climbing trip in Juneau. George "Ryan" Johnson, a 34-year-old Juneau man, and Marc-Andre Leclerc of British Columbia were dropped off near the Mendenhall Towers on Juneau's Mendenhall Ice Field on Sunday, Alaska State Troopers said in a written statement. The two men last communicated with family and friends Monday after climbing to the top of the towers. They had planned to return to Juneau via the West Mendenhall Glacier Trail by Wednesday evening.
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.adn.com/alaska-news/2018/03/08/search-and-rescue-underway-for-2-men-on-juneaus-mendenhall-ice-field/%3foutputType=amp-type
Please help with what ever you can. We are a connected outdoor community who can, these men are our men. Thank you for caring and making a difference.
Your contribution will help in many ways right now.
I am updating this page daily as I receive word and information from them.
Thank you for your love, prayers and support.
Nathan and Treya
G7
With Love and respect.
“We would like to express our gratitude to all those who donated to help Marc Andre’s family and friends throughout the search and subsequent confirmation of Marc Andre’s passing and the aftermath. This has been a long hard journey although in many ways it has barely begun. Your generous donations helped close friends of Marc Andre from the climbing community as well as Marc Andre’s family to be in Alaska for the duration of the search. Our presence played a part in helping Juneau Mountain Rescue and the Troopers narrow the search to where Marc Andre and Ryan were eventually located, sadly the outcome was not the one we hoped and prayed for. Your donations covered last minutes flights, car rentals, assisted with hotel room costs, lost income, and covered the cost of flying by helicopter to the base of the tower. There are no words really that can convey what it is like to stand surrounded by the stark beauty and silence of the Alaskan wilderness a short distance from where the person you love is lost to you, yet feeling so far away. Although it was a very hard thing to do and place to be I am grateful to those of you who contributed to make it possible to be there; it was something our family and Marc Andre’s close friends needed to see and needed to do.
Now that Juneau is behind us your donations are helping Brette, the love of Marc Andre’s life, navigate this new and unexpected road her life has suddenly taken - a road she now walks without the physical presence and support of her life partner but certainly with the constant memory of his deep love for her and with the presence of his spirit, which was too large and too joyful, to ever be lost. Your donations are also assisting with legal costs associated with the challenges presented by a loved one’s ‘presumed death’, as well helping with a small family and friends memorial in Agassiz, a larger community memorial in Squamish, a donation to Juneau Mountain Rescue, compiling Marc Andre’s articles and related media for the future, and for the costs associated with the eventual recovery of Marc Andre’s body.
Your generosity is so appreciated. For every dollar donated it was more than assistance with the unexpected financial fallout of Marc Andre’s loss, it was also the awareness that a community comprised of people near and far, chose to step out of their busy lives for a moment to walk through the valley of the shadow of death with us. Centuries ago the poet John Donne reminded us to ‘Ask not for whom the bell tolls, the bell tolls for thee.’ Those of you who stepped up in this hardest of times reminded us that while grief feels isolating we are not alone and Marc Andre, who was a generous and thoughtful young man, would be very proud of each and every one of you. Thank you.
The family memorial will be held in Agassiz at the Fraser Fishing Lodge on April 11th, at 5pm. The date and location of the Squamish memorial are still be finalized but will be around May 12th. More details will be shared when they are available.”
Michelle Kuipers
It is with great sadness we update this page. Juneau Mountian Rescue along with many experienced Alpinists, friends and family have been on an exhaustive search for Marc’s Andre Leclerc and Ryan Johnson. These two World Class climbers and incredible human beings, were determined overdue on Wed 7, after climbing a new route on the North Face of the Main Tower in the Mendenhall Towers. On Tuesday March 13 their efforts determined that Marc and Ryan are sadly no longer with us.
Marc’s father Serge shares his personal message to us below.
“To all of our friends near and far who have been supporting us and praying for Marc André I wanted you all to hear it from me first hand before it’s in the news. Sadly we have lost 2 really great climbers and I lost a son I am very proud of. Thank you for the support during this difficult time. My heart is so broken...Part of me is gone with him...
Our family appreciates all of your prayers and we would like to ask for a time of privacy as we come to grip with these devastating developments... Marc-André was an amazing, loving man and he has touched many lives in so many ways. He will be remembered and loved forever. I know he is with our Lord and I will be with him again one day. ❤️”
All support for this page will now go to the family and Marc’s partner Brette to manage and deal with the multitude of items they now have in front of them. As well as much needed respite and closure costs they will endure, given the circumstances of Marc and Ryan’s passing in the current location.
Your donations helped fly Marc’s family into the area to retrieve his skies and understand how it all happened. This journey brought much needed peace to everyone who was able to go.
Thank you to everyone for all your messages and contribution. Our community is strong and we will get though this as a loving collective. Our gratitude goes to the Juneau Mountian rescue for all the effort and care they gave to search.
I received this message from a mentor of Marc’s tonight, It speaks to who Marc was for so many.
“I gotta say, I loved that young guy, almost like my kids. his energy and enthusiasm were unparalleled, and infectious. his skills were amazing, of course, but that wasn't what made MA special - it was his ability to 'see' possibilities where no one else could even begin to imagine.”
Arcteryx, Marc’s sponsor has been by the families side and doing everything possible to help. Thank you Justin and John, as well as all the friends, and outdoor community who have helped in so many ways.
Please do not send news inquires to this page. All inquires should be sent to John Irvine [email redacted] he has been appointed as spokesperson for the family.
Please also see Ryan’s page and support Ryan’s son Milo, and family who will need our support and love.
https://www.gofundme.com/ryanandmilo
March 10, 2018
Nathan and I have created this page to help support Marc’s family and friends and his partner Brette travel to Alaska to search for Marc Andre Leclerc and Ryan Johnson. Both climbers did not return as planned from their climb in the In Alaska and due back Wed.
As the days go on the need increases to help with search efforts, travel expenses and bills that need to be covered as they are away from home.
Today Juneau Mountian search and rescue managed to get up in the air. We are waiting for word and are so very thankful for their commitment and hard work.
See article below from local news.
Search and rescue officials are looking for two experienced climbers who are overdue to return from a climbing trip in Juneau. George "Ryan" Johnson, a 34-year-old Juneau man, and Marc-Andre Leclerc of British Columbia were dropped off near the Mendenhall Towers on Juneau's Mendenhall Ice Field on Sunday, Alaska State Troopers said in a written statement. The two men last communicated with family and friends Monday after climbing to the top of the towers. They had planned to return to Juneau via the West Mendenhall Glacier Trail by Wednesday evening.
https://www.google.ca/amp/s/www.adn.com/alaska-news/2018/03/08/search-and-rescue-underway-for-2-men-on-juneaus-mendenhall-ice-field/%3foutputType=amp-type
Please help with what ever you can. We are a connected outdoor community who can, these men are our men. Thank you for caring and making a difference.
Your contribution will help in many ways right now.
I am updating this page daily as I receive word and information from them.
Thank you for your love, prayers and support.
Nathan and Treya
G7
Organizer and beneficiary
Treya Klassen
Organizer
Garibaldi Highlands, BC
serge Leclerc
Beneficiary