‘Live big for Lionel’: Parents celebrate spirit of 10-year-old boy killed in B.C. boating tragedy

Parents are mourning the shocking and sudden death of their youngest child, who they say was the “joy of the family.”

The parents of a 10-year-old boy who was killed in a tragic boating accident say their son’s light is shining brighter than ever, and they want everyone to “live big for Lionel.”

Lionel died Saturday while tubing with a friend in the waters off Cates Park, after the pair were struck by a speedboat. His friend is fighting for his life.

Lionel’s parents, Shelley Klassen and James Hall, are now sharing memories of a boy who they say, brought endless laughter, joy, and charm to everyone around him.

“He rocked our world,” Klassen said. “He was the joy of the family. He made us laugh all day.”

He loved soccer and worked hard to improve his skills — even making his own training videos.

But he loved to make people laugh and was also known for his comedic flair, like the time he impersonated MC Hammer at a school concert.

“He nailed it, right across the stage, back and forth,” said Hall. “He had all the teachers in hysterics.”

“On stage, in the moment, he does a backflip,” added Klassen. “We’re all like, ‘What was that?’”

The day of the accident, Lionel had lunch with his father before heading out.

“I checked to make sure he had sunscreen on,” Hall said.

“He said, ‘Yeah, I did it.’ I said, ‘Come here, let me smell you.’ So I got to smell him and hug him before he got in the car and left. I will never forget that moment.”

Later that evening, when Lionel didn’t come home, Klassen began texting and calling – looking for answers.

She eventually reached a friend at the hospital, who was crying and said her own child had been in an accident, but that she didn’t know what had happened to Lionel.

“I said, ‘Is Lionel with you?’ And she said, ‘No,’” Klassen said, recalling the series of questions she asked about her youngest child and the answers she got in return.

“‘Is Lionel OK?’ ‘I don’t know.’ ‘Is Lionel alive?’ And she said, ‘I don’t know.’”

Hours later, police knocked on the family’s door.

“You know, the only thought I want to hold is that they would have been laughing and giggling and smiling and not have known,” said Hall, describing what he hopes were his son’s final joyful moments.

RCMP say alcohol and speed may have been contributing factors. The driver of the boat that hit Lionel and his friend was arrested at the scene but has not been charged.

A week before his death, Klassen says her son crawled into bed beside her with a difficult question.

“He said, ‘Mommy, when am I going to die?’ And I said, ‘Well, that’s something you don’t know,” she explained to CTV News.

She told him everyone has a soul and that souls never die – including hers.

“I said, ‘If you want, you can close your eyes and you can reach for me, and I will be there, and I’ll come to you,’” she recalled. “And I had no idea that I would be the one taking my own advice.”

Klassen says she now feels Lionel’s presence “tickling her cheek.”

During the interview with CTV News on Wednesday, the family said they didn’t want their story to be solely one of heartbreak.

Instead, they’re caller for stricter laws so this doesn’t happen to another family.

They’re also expressing deep gratitude for the overwhelming support they’ve received from friends, family and even strangers.

“Live big. Live big for Lionel,” she Klassen. “I just want that hashtag to get out there.”