Northern News Services

Yellowknife (Jan 06/06) - The joyful anticipation of a New Year's Eve marriage announcement turned to heart-wrenching horror after a Yellowknife woman learned her husband-to-be was dead.

Kevin Varey, 32, and his partner Shannon Saunders were planning to announce their wedding engagement the day he was killed, Dec. 31. - photo courtesy of Bob Brooks

City councillor Bob Brooks and his wife Lynn were happily awaiting the news they expected to hear that night - that their daughter Shannon Saunders and her 32-year-old boyfriend Kevin Varey were going to tell them they were tying the knot after living together for three years.

Then came word that something went horribly wrong out on the ice of Prelude Lake.

Varey was killed while out on an early morning snowmobile ride, Dec. 31.

News of his death, and that of 28-year-old Clifford Sangris of Dettah, fuelled much speculation in the ensuing days as to what actually led to their demise.

Varey and Sangris were part of a larger group that was out enjoying the unseasonably mild weather at the end of the year.

Both men worked together at Diavik Diamond mine, and knew each other for about a month, according Sangris' stepfather, Roy Dahl.

"The whole group of boys had got together earlier the day before," said Brooks.

"They were all out snowmobiling and partying. Sometime around 2 a.m. they decided to go out snowmobiling again."

Brooks said from what he has learned from a friend of Varey's riding with him, the two men died after the powerful Bombardier Ski-Doo Varey was riding slammed into Sangris' machine, which was sitting idle on the middle of the lake - apparently with the headlight off.

Clifford Sangris, 28, was killed after Varey's snowmobile collided with his. - NNSL file photo

"We presume that Clifford was just watching or resting or whatever," said Brooks.

Earlier, Varey had asked his friend if he could try his new snowmachine out, said Brooks. Varey rode ahead while his friend followed behind on his machine.

Suddenly, a big plume of snow erupted in front of Varey's friend, said Brooks. When he arrived at the scene, he found a body lying in the snow.

"When he turned it over he was really surprised to see Clifford there," said Brooks.

"He looked around and then he saw Kevin. He checked for a pulse on both guys, and there was no pulse on either one of them."

Dahl heard a similar story. In a eulogy delivered at Sangris' standing room-only funeral held last Tuesday at St. Patrick's Parish, he told mourners it appeared Clifford, Varey and the third person headed off together down some trails.

They stopped to chat, and then Sangris left ahead of the other two.

Dahl said he doesn't know why Sangris stopped.

"There was one suggestion that because of the type of machine he had, that it overheated and automatically kicks out," said Dahl.

"I don't know. The only person that knows is Clifford."

Help was summoned from a nearby cabin, but there was nothing that could be done to save the pair. Both died of head injuries.

Brooks acknowledged that Varey liked to drive his snowmachine fast. He said it was also likely that some alcoholic beverages were consumed. Police found a backpack at the scene with several beers in it.

In December 2003, Varey was fined $1,100 after he was caught speeding at 148 km/hr on Range Lake - a developed area within city limits frequented by skiers and dog walkers.

But Brooks insisted Varey wasn't a careless man without consideration for others.

Merely, like many young men who hop onto a snowmobile and jet off into the wilderness outside of Yellowknife, he found it hard to resist opening the throttle with wide-open lakes stretching out before him.

"Somebody talked about whether he might've been playing chicken (when he died)," said Brooks. "That's definitely not in Kevin's nature. We used to go out snowmobiling together all the time.

"He was the kind of guy who would always be making sure everybody was okay. He would check back to make sure everyone was coming along if they were a little slow."

After Varey was fined for speeding, Brooks said he promised he would take his penchant for driving fast outside of town.

As for police speculation that one of the two dead men wasn't wearing a helmet, Brooks said in the confusion after the accident, Varey's helmet was left behind. A cabin owner attending the scene brought it back to Shannon.

Brooks also said he has no idea where police got the idea that children were present at some point during the evening. It never came up, he said.

Yesterday, Sangris family members and friends drove out to Mason Lake to burn his clothes.

"In traditional Dene culture when someone passes away, you burn their clothes so they will have it in the next lifetime," said Dahl.

He described Sangris as a friendly man who was hard to offend. He enjoyed traditional activities like the Dene Hand Games, and was a Dettah drummer.

"He was very accepting of people," said Dahl.

"It took him a while to warm up to people but for the most part he was very friendly, very open, and very honest with people."

Sangris was single and had no children. He is survived by his mother Kathy, three adopted brothers, one adopted sister, one-half brother, and one-half sister.

Varey and Shannon would've married at the end of the year, said Brooks. The couple, along with Brooks and his wife, planned to travel south and meet with their respective families.

He came to Yellowknife in 2002 from his home in Thunder Bay, Ont., taking a job as a driller with NWT Rock Services before moving on to I and D Management, which brought him to Diavik Diamond Mine. Shannon met him that very year.

They bought a house together. Varey helped raised her teenage daughter, and the couple took on a number of pets, including two dogs, five cats and several fish.

"I think their phone message said: 'You've reached Shannon and Kevin's Ark,'" said Brooks.

He had a great affection for the outdoors, said Brooks, and had many friends.

"Everybody loved him," said Brooks.

"We've been getting a flood of friends and families calling in, coming in to visit Shannon."

His death has left Shannon devastated, said Brooks.

He is survived by his parents, Rick and Carol, and sister Michelle.

Brooks said seven of Varey's family members arrived in town this week to attend a funeral service at the Salvation Army chapel, tomorrow at 10 a.m.