A mysterious story about a fallen Canadian soldier and a Barrie, Ont. thrift store continues to unfold. Inside the pocket of a jacket purchased at Value Village in the city’s north end was a photo along with a handwritten message of the Alberta man who served in Afghanistan and died in 2007. The couple who purchased the jacket and found the photo earlier this summer have since connected with the family of the soldier named Cpl. Cole Bartsch. Bartsch’s sister, Joleen, drove with her family to Ontario from Sherwood Park, Alta. in late August to celebrate her 40th birthday, which happens to be close to her late brother’s. She and her family stopped in Niagara Falls and while there, noticed CTV’s article on Bartsch. She tells CTV News she decided to reach out to LeAnn Blake, the woman whose husband purchased the jacket with the photo of her brother inside, and offered to stop in Barrie. The two families indeed met up and embraced in a hug when they saw each other. Joleen insisted Blake keep the photo, as she was touched that a space and frame was made for Bartsch on Blake’s memorial nightstand table to honour loved ones who had been lost. “Cole was over there trying to make the world a better place,” Joleen says. “Anyone who can treat my brother with such honour is family.” When it comes to how the photo ended up in a random jacket at a Barrie Value Village, while it’s only speculation at the moment, Joleen has a couple of ideas. She believes a group of local cadets may have done projects on the soldiers, which is how the photo ended up with the writing on the back. Another theory could be school projects as schools have reached out to her over the years for information on her brother. Next year will mark the 20th anniversary of Bartsch’s death and the two families plan on connecting again to honour the fallen soldier. Bartsch’s mother, Juanita, volunteers at HOPE, a peer support program for Canadian Armed Forces members and military families. “Now people in our town even recognize the story from CTV News Barrie,” she says. “It’s so awesome that people are remembering Cole. Bartsch was one of six Canadians killed when their armoured vehicle hit a roadside bomb in 2007. He was 23 years old.
