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Funeral planned for popular South Surrey realtor, coach

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SOUTH SURREY — A celebration of life service has been planned for a local man who died unexpectedly over the B.C. Day long weekend while on vacation with his family and friends.

John Mele had recently celebrated his 43rd birthday before going on vacation to the Okanagan. The father of three is remembered as a well-loved realtor in the area who also occasionally stepped in as assistant coach for his son’s little league baseball team, the 9-10 Selects.

Mele had been doing a back dive off of a boat on Friday, Aug. 1 in Osoyoos Lake as his three children, aged 14, 10 and eight, looked on. According to Mele’s brother-in-law, Gary Hawes, it wasn’t long before they realized something was amiss when he didn’t resurface. An exhaustive two-and-a-half day search finally found Mele’s body about 20 feet from the boat’s approximate location the day of the incident.

The RCMP were able to locate his body using sophisticated sonar gear. An autopsy later revealed that Mele had a posterior fossa intracranial brain tumour that “was large enough that it most likely caused him to lose consciousness in the water, as it was pressing against his brain stem.”

“He was just entertaining his kids having a good time on a family vacation,” Hawes told the Now. “He didn’t fully resurface, (a friend) just saw he was hunched over floating back to the surface, back towards (him). He didn’t quite make it to the surface and he started to sink and everyone thought he was maybe going underneath the boat and maybe going to play a prank and jump up on the other side and splash the kids.”

According to friends and family, Mele exhibited no signs that anything was amiss with his health leading up to the event. Many of them, however, attribute that to his positive outlook.

“John had complained of some headaches and a bit of dizziness, but nothing that was so severe that he felt it needed to be checked on,” Hawes said.

Chuck Westgard, a business partner who has worked with Mele for the past 21 years, attested that Mele wasn’t one to miss out on a family vacation because of what he perceived to be nothing more than a headache.

“He was such a focused guy with work and everything else that when he finally went to go on holidays with the family, (he) would not have missed that,” Westgard, one-half of Royal LePage Westgard Realty, said.

“He was very focused and very dedicated to his work, but moreso to his family. Work was number two but family was number one with him.”

Asked if there were any signs that Mele wasn’t feeling well, Ryan Scott, a childhood friend and fellow baseball parent said he “couldn’t say for certain.”

“John was not one to complain. You would never hear John say, ‘I’m hung over or not feeling very well.’ He was just one of those people who would power through it,” Scott said. “He always wanted to make sure everyone was having a good time.”

Scott met Mele when they both played on a North Delta baseball team when they were eight years old. The guys have remained close ever since, with both of their wives having been each others’ maid of honour at their weddings.

“Our families have grown together, our wives are best friends. We’ve been there for every child’s birth and marriage,” he said. “I’ve never lost a close friend of such a long time, so it’s just strange to think he won’t be there to call him to ask him questions or when you need advice. It’s definitely going to be different not to imagine John in my life.”

Westgard similarly feels at a loss in hearing the news.

“It was a shock; it just came out of left field,” he said. “Leaving those three young kids behind – it’s very tragic.”

Scott said the last time he saw his friend was about a week before the incident, on the baseball field where their sons were playing.

Hawes said that Mele will be remembered as a fully-engaged, positive person both on the field and in life.

“When he wasn’t assistant-coaching, he was always there and was the loudest and most boisterous spectator cheering on the team. Everyone knew John,” Hawes said.

“They all knew John when he arrived. He was so well loved by the other parents and kids on the team … He knew his sports, he was a smart guy and he was just motivational. He was just full of positive energy.”

The celebration of life service for John Mele, open to the public, will be at South Surrey’s Peace Portal Church on Wednesday, Aug. 20 at 3 p.m.

kalexandra@thenownewspaper.com