A 22-year-old recent University of Victoria graduate killed in a car crash in Thailand on New Year’s Day is being remembered for her bright spirit and passion for life.
Ashlie Toews died on the island of Koh Tao in southern Thailand after completing her Divemaster certification. She had been due to fly to Australia, where she was to start a job as a dive instructor on Great Keppel Island.
In a statement on a GoFundMe page initiated by their daughter’s friends, her parents, Dawn and Galen Toews, called their only child a “bright, shining spirit, full of so much love, joy, passion, strength and compassion.”
The fundraising page had raised more than $40,000 from 466 donations as of Monday at noon.
Friends Femke Woud and Heidi Hoffman said donations will help Ashlie’s parents with flights and allow them the “time they need to heal without the burden of financial stress.”
Toews graduated last fall with a degree in commerce specializing in entrepreneurship, after working at Parametric Properties as a consulting analyst for her final co-op term. She had also worked as a part-time server at the Royal Victoria Yacht Club, according to her LinkedIn profile.
“Ashlie was an amazing young woman, who made the absolute most of her 22 years on this Earth,” said Woud. “She touched so many lives … made friends wherever she went as she was such a joy to be around.”
Galen Toews said he wanted to thank all of the donors individually. “You have shown Dawn and I so much love and compassion,” he said. “It brings me to tears.”
A celebration of life will be held in May.
