Working with his hands, helping those in need, giving back to the community and loving his family. For Patrick Davis, those were the things he held dear even while battling his own struggles.
A construction worker with a passion for helping the Comox Valley’s unhoused population, family and friends say the prominent community member had a complex but infectious personality, who touched the souls of everyone who came into his path and made them want more.
“Patrick was a complicated individual but was probably one of the smartest individuals that have ever come into this world,” said his mother, Charlene Davis.
“He had a way with people. It allowed them to come forward and be their best. Whenever he would work at a place and would leave, the people that worked there would try to follow him. He made the work environment so great for everybody.”
The memories of Patrick’s persona are echoed by friends who worked with him on projects close to his heart. He was a strong supporter of the WeCan Shelter Society, taking on projects to help bring housing to those in need.
Both Coleen Anderson and Jeff Lucas met him through the society and say he did all his work selflessly and was driven to help others who were less fortunate.
“Pat was a natural leader who never wanted the spotlight. He had an uncanny ability to welcome every person, regardless of skill and either give them, or teach them a job so that they felt like they were an integral part of the build,” said Lucas.
“He selflessly gave his time to address the issue of homelessness and always put the safety of others first.”
Patrick’s work was felt throughout the Comox Valley and was recognized in June by the Comox Rotary Club and designated a Paul Harris Fellow for his contributions.
Beyond community aid, Patrick was a father of two daughters and his fiancé Tawnie van den Born says he was a complex man, whose challenges did not make up all of him.
“He was the love of my life. I was so proud of the work he was doing to overcome some things that he would have had stuck in his brain for a very long time,” van den born said. “I think a lot of that was for his daughters, because he loved them, and he was so proud of them.”
His mother added he had confronted challenges he had been facing with alcohol a few years ago and was successful in pushing it back. However, challenges he had faced including depression became too much, and Patrick died in mid-July due to self-harm.
With a hole left in the community, his family has started a GoFundMe to raise $150,000 and build a playground for kids at the Maple Pool Campground, a place very close to Patrick’s heart.
“Maple Pool is where all the WeCan shelters are placed so that’s where we help the unhoused find a place more permanent,” said Anderson. “Pat recognized that’s it’s not just single people who are unhoused, there are families that are unhoused.”
Anderson adds Patrick had built a play structure for his daughters and wanted to provide something like that to kids at Maple Pool.
“A number of children down at the Maple Pool Campground had been asking him for the last year ‘please Mr. Pat, could you build us a playground?’ He always wanted to do that,” added Charlene.
Charlene adds they want the playground to mark his last contribution to this community, and to commemorate the impacts he made before.
While Patrick may have struggled, his friends and family say his life carries a beautiful message of care that needs to be preserved and carried forward to bring more healing and help to the community.
“I really want them to remember Pat as an example for empathy when it comes to people who are most at risk for our community,” said van den Born. “He never had a mean thing to say about them.
“He was one of those people that recognized that the anger shouldn’t be at the people who are the most disenfranchised. His idea [was] that we should be supporting these people and he was a big [believer] of housing first.”
van den Born adds that Patrick was nothing but a man with patience for those struggling in the community, did it thanklessly, and preferred to not take credit for his efforts.
“I think that ultimately, losing someone like Pat teaches me that we often don’t know or comprehend the struggles that other people go through daily,” said Lucas.
“Pat fought his demons and channelled this passion to do good for others. He spent so much time and effort to make others’ lives better that it’s apparent now that we forgot to check in more frequently. I truly appreciate him for all that he did for our entire community.”
The GoFundMe page can be found here.
