Dawn Ostrem
Northern News Services
Tuktoyaktuk (Apr 23/01) - Memories are what families, friends and neighbours have left to cherish of two life-long members of the community.
They will remember James Gruben as a serious and determined bush pilot at the controls of his Cessna 185, and as a respected and generous businessman.
They will remember John Voudrach as a young, happy guy with a smile and a helping hand outstretched to almost anyone.
Both men died Apr. 13 when a gravel truck ran into their pickup on the Tuktoyaktuk-Inuvik ice-road at the Swimming Point intersection.
"The town is pretty sad now," said James's cousin Lloyd Gruben.
"James was a very friendly guy and tried to help out people as much as he could ... John was very happy-go-lucky and always laughing and joking."
The community of Tuktoyaktuk is still hurting this week after two funerals were held one day after the other.
Gruben Transport Ltd. was contracted by Arctic Oil & Gas Inc., of which it also partly owns, to haul gravel from a quarry to Lucas Point, about 70 kilometres out of Tuk. They were hauling at night so they could cross tundra ice-bridges more easily than during the day.
The transport company was owned and operated by James Gruben, his father and brother. A gravel truck driven by a close relative of Gruben struck the pickup when it darted past a stop sign and into the busy intersection.
"He was considered one of the best bush pilots by anybody that flew with him," Lloyd Gruben said.
"I remember one time when I was coming back from Husky Lake (on snowmobile) and a plane buzzed over me and it was James. He recognized me right away."
James was known for giving jobs to the people who needed them. His cousin said as well as his close friends and family, the young kids he got work for will probably really feel the loss.
"I think those are the ones who are really going to miss him," Lloyd said.
Voudrach was an apprentice carpenter under Dennis Pascal at the Tuktoyaktuk Housing Association.
Pascal said he was the type of person who waved at you no matter how many times you drove by. He said he was happy, even though working at the association and dealing with tenant complaints was sometimes a thankless job.
"He'd do it very well," Pascal said. "He treated tenants with respect and he was nice to them."
Voudrach's funeral was held Apr. 17 and a memorial for Gruben was held the next day.
