Friends of the Regina businessman who died in a diving accident on Lovering Lake at the weekend remembered a sports enthusiast who lived life to the fullest.
Frank Garrett, 64, died Sunday after failing to surface during a diving expedition with Planet Scuba, a Regina-based group that offers diving trips to global destinations and dives on local lakes.
The alarm was raised at around noon, with the Craik RCMP responding to what it described as a “possible diving accident/sudden death” at the popular spot about five kilometres from Chamberlain. Though first responders from EMS and STARS attended to him, Garrett was pronounced dead at the scene.
Remembering his friend, David Gerrand, a fellow member at the downtown Regina YMCA which Garrett was heavily involved with, said the running fanatic will be sorely missed.
“He was a popular and outgoing member who was loved by all,” Gerrand said. “He was a great supporter of charities and the arts in Regina. It’s a sad, sad loss to the community in so many ways.”
A late-blooming runner, Garrett had completed both the Boston and New York marathons, Gerrand said, adding that, “he loved to share his travel stories,” from his trips south.
Garrett, an accountant, ran Frank Garrett Financial and Business Consulting on Smith Street, which offers a range of financial services.
His love of a good yarn was something echoed by Asel Omurzakova, a partner at Garrett’s practice who worked with him for the past 11 years. She said he was “very protective” of his staff.
“Frank was a very caring person,” she said. “He made us feel like a family to him. We’re devastated. The office won’t feel like it was before — he would always have a funny story for each of us.”
“He found the time to help everyone,” Omurzakova said, remarking how Garrett was particularly good to young students preparing for accountancy exams. “He would just find time to help people on weekends. He would never say he didn’t have the time for anything.”
Tragically, Garrett’s longtime partner Karen Prychitko — a former employee at SGI — had passed away in March 2014 after a long battle with cancer.
Planet Scuba is run by Brad Johnson, a Professional Association of Diving Instructors-certified Master Instructor with over 17 years of teaching experience, according to the group’s website. In Saskatchewan, the club has offered open water dives on Lovering Lake and Last Mountain Lake.
Speaking Tuesday, Johnson confirmed that Garrett had been part of the group’s dive on Sunday when the incident occurred. “We are deeply saddened by Mr. Garrett’s passing,” he said, adding that the company was helping authorities with their inquiry.
Police are not as of yet releasing further details about the incident, which both Craik RCMP and the RCMP Underwater Recovery Team continue to investigate.
“At this time it’s not believed to be suspicious in nature, and there is an investigation taking place to determine what exactly happened,” an RCMP spokesperson said.
Mr. Garrett’s next of kin has been informed, and an autopsy is to take place on Thursday.
