It was an emotional day as family and friends of Eli Jashyn were among the crowd that celebrated the grand opening of the multi-sport court in Morris last week.
Incorporated into the new facility is a bench in memory of Eli, who passed away from cancer in 2022 at the age of 15. He would have graduated high school with his peers this past week.
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"It's special to have a lasting memory," said Eli's sister, Emilie. "He loved to play outside. We live near here so it's good to have something that is very close to home, in both ways. So, there's something physical and there's something that we can come and do just to spend time remembering him in a way."
"He made such a big impact on so many people, and it's so cool that there's something everyone can come to and everyone can enjoy. I just think that's incredible," added Eli's other sister, Abigail.
Emilie added, Eli was a light in the community.
"(He was) happy all the time, no matter the situation."
The remaining financial donations the family received during Eli's battle were donated to the multi-sport court effort after he passed. Money raised from a fund-raising BBQ for the project were also redirected to Eli's family, which they put back into the project after his passing as well.
"This is what he would have wanted," added Abigail.
Charity Paracholski was a friend of Eli's and spoke at the multi-sport court grand opening.
"It means a lot. That way he will always be remembered. He would have graduated with us so it's nice to have something to remember him by," she said.
"I know that if he was still here, he'd be using these courts every single day," said Darci Epp, Eli's best childhood friend. "It's just really special that he can be remembered here and honoured as people use the courts," she added, getting choked up.
Another bench, in memory of Tyrelle Darling, was also erected at the courts.
Co-valedictorian Nic Leflar honoured both Eli and Tyrelle in his commencement speech at Wednesday's graduation ceremony.
The following was submitted to PembinaValleyOnline.
The final thing I would like to talk about is something a little sadder, but also something that I believe is very necessary.
I wanted to honour two brave young men who would’ve been graduating with us today. One being Eli Jashyn and the other being Tyrell Darling-Khan.
I knew Eli since I came to Morris School. He was a very kind and outgoing individual. Whenever he walked the halls or talked to anybody, you could see the people's faces around him turn to smiles. Sadly, he lost his life to cancer. When walking the halls, you can still see his smile on his mom's face. Though he has passed, his memories and impact on the Morris Community will never be forgotten.
Now I want to talk about Tyrelle. I met him in grade 9 when he and his brother Terrence came to Morris School. He was a very outgoing and nice guy. I didn’t have all my best friends in my grade 9 class. It turned out to be a blessing in disguise. I was able to get to know him, and he made those classes 10x more enjoyable. I still remember the debate we had to do in English class. When we were meant to be preparing, we decided it was better to talk and play on our phones. On the presentation day, let's just say I improvised pretty well while Tyrelle cheered me on from the sidelines. Tyrelle will forever be loved and remembered by the communities he was a part of. Although this is sad, it is important that we remember and celebrate Tyrelle and Eli’s lives.