'Always a hero': Thousands pay respects to fallen B.C. RCMP officer Shaelyn Yang
CTV
Fallen B.C. RCMP officer Shaelyn Yang had an extraordinary and unwavering faith in humanity, her family said during an emotional funeral service Wednesday.
Fallen B.C. RCMP officer Shaelyn Yang had an extraordinary and unwavering faith in humanity, her family said during an emotional funeral service Wednesday.
The regimental funeral was held in Richmond, where Yang lived with her wife Simone, and was attended by thousands of first responders who travelled from across Canada and parts of the United States to pay their respects.
Yang's cousin Ash Tan delivered a eulogy on behalf of her family, and described the constable, who worked in the Burnaby RCMP detachment's mental health and homeless outreach team, as having had a lifelong dedication to helping others.
"Shaelyn Yang was always a hero," said Tan. "All her family and friends who have loved her and been so proud of her, we've always known this."
Before becoming a Mountie, Yang was a volunteer with the Richmond RCMP's victim services unit. She also volunteered with B.C. Cancer and Canadian Blood Services.
"Everything she did was defined by her empathy, her compassion, and her belief that she could change the world," Tan said. "She helped everyone she could because she had faith in them. She had faith that we – each and every one of us – could make this world a better place."
She did so despite facing what her family described as "the sort of adversity that can really change a person."
