The Reminder is making its archives back to 2003 available on our website. Please note that, due to technical limitations, archive articles are presented without the usual formatting.
Jonathon Naylor Editor As the man charged in her untimely death prepares to stand trial, Natasha Moar is being remembered for the joy she brought into other people's lives. The former Flin Flonner was just 20 years old when she was beaten to death three years ago in Crane River, a reserve northeast of Dauphin. 'The thing that we really miss is her happiness and her smile,' says step-grandfather Angus Lavallee, who raised Moar with wife Linda. 'She was such a great person to be around. She just brought life to the house. She was always happy. You had not too many sad moments with her. You could feel down one day and she would just pick you right up.' Took in infant The Lavallees took in Moar as an infant following her mother's tragic death in Waterhen, a reserve not far from Crane River. It was ruled a suicide, but the family believes foul play was at work. Moar grew into a beautiful and popular young woman. She entered the 2004 Queen Mermaid pageant and earned spending money at McDonald's. Though she left Flin Flon at 16, she retained close ties to the community, her family and her many friends. She would come back for visits whenever she could. See 'Con...' on pg. 6 Continued from pg. 1 On July 12, 2009, the Lavallees received the shattering news that no family could ever anticipate. Their granddaughter was gone. An autopsy found that Moar had died of blunt force trauma. Police promptly charged her boyfriend, Leslie Grant McDonald of Crane River, now 26, with manslaughter. It took more than two years of legal procedures before McDonald entered his not-guilty plea last summer. He will face trial in Dauphin beginning on Jan. 14, 2013. The soft-spoken Angus, who considered Moar a daughter rather than a granddaughter, has been following the proceedings closely. He plans on attending the trial, though he is blunt in his misgivings about the legal system thus far. 'It almost seems it's more for the accused than the victims,' Angus says. Understandably, Angus still experiences deep indignation over his family's loss. He's open to the possibility that the feeling will one day pass, but today is not that day. 'I'm angry that she lost her life so young,' he says, 'where she could have been with us and (us enjoying) having her with us. That's what I'm angry about.' Nothing can genuinely soothe the anguish of a lost loved one, particularly under these horrific circumstances. But those who cared for Moar do have a treasure trove of pleasant memories to evoke. Outhouse? 'Yuck' Like the time Moar was 18 months old and, while being driven to her new home in Flin Flon, had to use the washroom in Wanless. She took one look at the outhouse, said 'yuck' and took off with her tiny overalls flapping in the wind. Then there was her penchant for racing into her aunt's bedroom dancing every time the song Ice Ice Baby was playing. She would bounce around the house for hours reciting the lyrics. She was also witty from an early age. When her Grade 6 catechism class was asked who the patron saint of dairy workers was, she piped up, 'Saint Beatrice?' Such anecdotes were recalled not long after Moar's death as more than 100 family members and friends held a candle vigil in her memory at Flinty's Park. By then a Facebook page _ 'Remembering Natasha Linda Moar' _ had been set up. It remains active and still amasses new postings. One friend wrote how Moar would use her fingers to brush the friend's hair if it was unkempt. Reads another posting: 'may you be with all the angels now.' Facebook is not Angus's thing, but he is hardly surprised that a page was composed in Moar's memory. 'She had a lot of friends here (in Flin Flon) and they've all showed us their concern,' he says. 'It's great because I think that was my granddaughter's biggest thing, was her friends here in Flin Flon. She had so many friends and she just loved her friends.'
