Darren Burnard, a member of Wabigoon Lake First Nation, passed away on March 7, 2022 unexpectedly under tragic circumstances. Despite these circumstances, Darren should be remembered for the loving father he was, a family man at heart, with a caring and nurturing nature whose kids meant everything to him.
Simple pleasures in life brought joy to Darren. One of his favorite past-times was picking blueberries with his brother; they used to race to see who could pick the most. He was a skilled and proficient carpenter who loved to build and took pride in his work. He also worked at the tree nursery, and was an avid Toronto Maple Leafs fan.
By far, the most important part of Darren’s life was his family, especially his children. He was an awesome father who truly loved his children, Deklyn Craig Albert Burnard, Zyra Melody Anne Burnard, Avery John George Green, and lovingly accepted Anna May Boss-Krassilowsky and Azalyn Gloria Boss-Krassilowsky as his own. There was no comparison to the smile on his face when he spoke about his children, as though he was lit up from the inside.
Darren was predeceased by his mother, Sonya Lozej, and a caring son to his father Lionel Burnard. His family also includes brothers Andrew Walmsley, Chris Burnard and Terrance Burnard, and sister Melanie Burnard. He and Andrew in particular spent a lot of “time” together. He had a large extended family of aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and nephews who also keenly feel his loss, in particular Stuart Burnard and Derek Palermo, whom he considered as brothers. He also had a close relationship to Lilian Morin, his children’s grandmother, whose love and kindness were indispensable to him. His memory will also be kept alive by the mother of his children, Nikki Rae Boss, whom he always found his way back to and who loved him no matter what.
Darren is fondly remembered by most as a pain in the neck who was himself no matter what. He had a habit of being charmingly annoying; you wanted to be irritated but the grin on his face and mischief in his eyes just made you laugh instead. He wanted to change his life for himself and his children; he just didn’t know how. He should be remembered not for his faults, but for the love of his children, his authenticity and straightforwardness and his big heart.
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