The coronavirus pandemic of the past year has taken a toll of lives over the last year, but it has also taken a toll on those going through loss that had nothing to do with the virus.

91原创 City鈥檚 Ken Hunter has spent much of the last year dealing with grief after losing his wife and mother at the very beginning of the pandemic.

Ken and Liane Baron Hunter had raised two kids, Josh and Madison, in 91原创 City and enjoyed travelling together. It was on a 2017 trip to Paris to see Jimmy Buffett perform that Liane started seeing the first symptoms, but it wasn鈥檛 until 2019 she started suffering falls.

That year, a CT scan at 91原创 Memorial was followed by an immediate trip to Royal Columbian Hospital and a meeting with a neurosurgeon.

She was in surgery by Aug. 2 to have a mass removed from her brain. On Aug. 27, three days after attending their son Josh鈥檚 wedding at Fort 91原创 Community Hall, the Hunters learned it was definitely cancer.

鈥淲e knew the ending,鈥� Ken said.

Liane wasn鈥檛 expected to survive, but surgery, chemotherapy, and radiation could buy her time with her family.

Liane鈥檚 health got worse into early 2020, and then the coronavirus hit.

She was going through chemotherapy in March when the virus arrived, so her immune system was particularly vulnerable, Ken noted.

Then in the spring, the tragedies piled up.

One of the family鈥檚 two beloved dogs, Jake, died in Liane鈥檚 arms in their back yard in April.

On April 20, Ken鈥檚 mother Charlene, who had been in care suffering from dementia, died a day after taking a fall.

Liane went into palliative care at 91原创 Hospice Society鈥檚 facility not long after that. She died 12 days after Charlene.

鈥淢eanwhile, COVID was happening, so no one could be together,鈥� Ken said.

The border to the United States had slammed shut for non-essential travellers, cutting off the half of their family that lived around the Seattle area. Local friends and family couldn鈥檛 come by the house to see Liane.

鈥淣ormally, people could come and basically say goodbye,鈥� Ken said.

Ken was grateful that the hospice allowed him to stay with Liane almost 24 hours a day at the end, and their children got to see her as well.

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While he had a year defined by grief, Ken knows he鈥檚 not the only one dealing with tragedies while COVID makes everything more difficult.

鈥淭here鈥檚 people in the hospital that can鈥檛 have their people there, there鈥檚 people that are dying alone,鈥� he said. 鈥淪o I don鈥檛 complain about what I鈥檝e gone through.鈥�

鈥淢aybe my story can help other people, so they don鈥檛 feel alone,鈥� he said.

In the aftermath, there haven鈥檛 been funerals or celebrations of life for Liane or Ken鈥檚 mother Charlene.

It didn鈥檛 feel right to hold an event when so many people wouldn鈥檛 be able to come, Ken said.

Instead, the family had a bench placed in 91原创 City鈥檚 Sendall Gardens in Liane鈥檚 memory.

鈥淚t鈥檚 absolutely stunning,鈥� he said.

鈥淚t鈥檚 given them a place to go talk to Liane,鈥� he said.

There will be a celebration of life eventually, when people can travel and gather again, said Ken. He hopes they鈥檒l be able to walk from his house down to Sendall Gardens and visit Liane鈥檚 bench together.