Family and friends are grieving the loss of Vicky Shachtay, a 23-year-old disabled mother of one who died in her ground level apartment Friday morning,
Though not confirmed by RCMP, friends within the community said it was Shachtay who lived in the apartment on 51 Ave and died after opening a package delivered to her house that contained an explosive device.
"She was a great person," said pastor, Dave Wiebe, who said Shachtay was faithful member of the Innisfail Alliance Church. "On behalf of her family, she was a great daughter, sister and wonderful mom to her own daughter."
On April 29, 2004 Shachtay, 16, was a passenger driving back from Caroline with three friends when the driver of the car lost control near Spruce View. The car rolled several times before coming to a stop in a field. After being rescued by emergency services, she soon learned she had sustained a C4, C5 and C6 spinal cord injuring losing her sensations below her chest. It was then she found out she was four months pregnant.
Shachtay's daughter, Destiny, was born the following September and since then, community members always saw her out with her daughter.
"This was a young woman with so much promise, and a rosy future," said John Hand, a teacher at the middle school of hearing the news. Hand was both vice principle and principle during Shachtay's time at school. He said she arrived at the school in grade 7 or 8 with a younger sister, Sarah and brother, Derek.
"She was doing so well as a mother, a friend. For her life to get cut short, we're shocked, dumfound Ö In a community like Innisfail this is not supposed to happen."
Hand said, like most teens she had her ups and down. She was in an out of high school moving to another town at one point, he recalled.
"She could make her friends laugh as a student and that's something that followed her into her adult life." She was a great mom and fantastic friend, he said.
"I'll remember her riding her wheelchair behind my house with her baby in her arms," said Brent Dougherty, the operator of the Innisfail Co-op Gas bar who had Shachtay in his employ twice over the years.
She worked briefly when she was 15 at the gas bar but several years later returned and worked for about a year, he said.
"When she was in her wheelchair she did the paper work and she also did the cashier (work). Everybody would come in and see her. She always happy with everybody she always got along well." He said she always talked about her child and what she would do with her on her time of.
"She was young. She always came across as a tough girl, but she was really smart," he said adding she caught on to everything at work quickly.
"She was a good worker, I could always count on her to be here. She went the extra mile to get here sometimes when she needed to," he said explaining at first she used the handicap bus to get to work but soon after got her own van and was able to drive.
"Our hearts and thoughts go out to the family," said Innisfail Mayor Jim Romane, who was on scene Friday, to learn more about what had happened.
"Ö Hopefully there's some resolution to it and it's not a random thing."
Ron Lentz, who was also nearby Friday afternoon, said his mother-in-law called him to let him know what happened. Shachtay's daughter rides the bus to school with his children.
"She was a nice person. I always talked to her ó she always seemed happy," he said. "I guess the thing is it will happen anywhere. For someone to do something like that its," he said his voice trailing off. "How do you put it in words?"
Pastor Wiebe has been at the Innisfail location for the past four years and said Shachtay has been a member there far before he arrived.
"She was just determined. She had a strong love of life, a great personality regardless of whatever challenges she had." He said she served in a children's ministry that runs Thursday nights and regularly attendee ladies bible study as well.
"The family is devastated. Of course they are doing as best as can be expected and we certainly appreciate privacy while they mourn. Ö I believe the church will rally and so will the community, around the family. You love deeply, so you hurt deeply. She will be missed."
Sunday, Wiebe opened the weekly service with prayer session for Shachtay's family, the church and the community. He said the church was packed and people huddled into groups to pray.
"It was a powerful prayer session," said Wiebe who led from the front of the room.
A trust fund is being set up for Destiny, who is currently in the care of Shachtay's family.
