By Darlene Seto
The usual din of loud debate in the Department of Political Science at the University of Calgary was eerily silent Tuesday, replaced with a somber atmosphere as students received news of the death of Michael Charles Lewis. The body of Lewis, a Master’s student in the department, was found early Monday, Mar. 7 by firefighters searching the banks of the Bow River.
Detective Ryan Dobson of the Calgary Police confirmed the discovery. “Identification was found on the [body],” he said. “We are waiting on results of an autopsy held this Wednesday morning, but there is no evidence of foul play.”
Family and friends are grieving over the loss.
“We’re relieved for an answer, but everyone is terribly sad and heartbroken,” said mother Maria Lewis from her home in St. John’s, Newfoundland. “He is with the Lord now, though, and we have strong support from our community here. We will be able to get through this.”
“He was a good friend and I’ll miss him,” reflected Christopher Northcott, one of the leaders in the search for Lewis. “We’re all hurt now, but there are lots of good memories to remember about him.”
An informal gathering of students close to Lewis was held Wednesday at the university. “We all shared his memory,” said Northcott solemnly. “There was silence, but lots of laughs too. [Michael] had some strong opinions, but he was very considerate, he really seemed to understand where people were coming from.”
Lewis was last seen over a month ago, late in the evening of February 4. His body was found in the vicinity of Fort Calgary, some distance away from Mewata Armoury in downtown Calgary, his last known whereabouts.
The Lewis family plans to hold service Monday, Mar. 14, 2005 at St. Thomas’ Anglican Church in St. John’s. Messages of condolence to the family may be left at www.carnells.com.