What began as a “simple way to feel useful, and to give back to society” turned into nearly three decades as a search and rescue volunteer for Michael Coyle, a Coquitlam search and rescue manager who was found dead over the weekend in Squamish.

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On Sunday, his partner Sylvia Fuller posted on social media that Coyle “was found unresponsive while mountain biking yesterday and died despite the best efforts of other riders and Squamish EMS.”

“Thank you to Squamish Search and Rescue for carrying him out and taking care of our dog. We are shattered.”

According to his online profile, Coyle was a volunteer manager with Coquitlam Search and Rescue, a software developer, and a kidney transplant recipient.

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“My primary recreation … is backcountry travel of various sorts. I started, like most people, as a hiker. The simple act of walking,” Coyle wrote on a blog he maintained about his experiences as a search volunteer.

“This led to travel over more difficult terrain, loftier goals, and necessitated the use of different modes of travel. To climb a mountain I had to learn glacier travel, rock climbing, navigation, and mountaineering skills. To travel in winter, I had to learn to ski, ice climb, and protect myself from avalanches.

“The act of learning is ongoing. Sailing, canoeing and kayaking are on the agenda.”

Coyle wrote about joining a search and rescue team in January 2000, initially out of frustration volunteering for other organizations and needing “a simple way to feel useful.”

“SAR was that opportunity. My skills at backcountry travel were a good fit for the task of finding and helping lost and injured people in B.C.’s wilderness,” he wrote.

Over the years, Coyle has also put his software developer skills to use for the purpose of search and rescue.

In a tribute Facebook post shared by North Shore Rescue, the team called Coyle “a giant” and described how he had written a program now widely used by SAR teams that allows rescuers to pull GPS coordinates from cell phones through a simple text message exchange.

“North Shore Rescue joins the chorus of individuals and teams expressing its profound sorrow to Mike’s family and friends, and Coquitlam SAR. His passing will be deeply felt by many,” the team wrote.

Coyle was also the helicopter rescue tech on standby who jumped into action during Olympian Stacey Cook’s training run crash during the 2010 Winter Olympics.

Outdoor Vancouver published an interview with Coyle on May 31, 2026, in which he described having logged about 200 volunteer hours with search and rescue during the 2010 to 2011 season.

In a 2020 Postmedia story, Coyle spoke about the experience of having a genetic kidney disease and navigating COVID-19 while awaiting surgery.

When his kidneys edged toward failure in 2018, Coyle reached out to friends, family, co-workers and the community to find a suitable kidney donor. He found one through his longtime association with B.C.’s search and rescue community: the wife of a colleague on Coyle’s search team.

“It was really touching the way people stepped up,” he said.

In 2019, Coyle received a Governor General of Canada Sovereign Medal for Volunteers. In 2014, he received the Coquitlam Search and Rescue’s Rollie Award for Excellence for his contributions over the previous 15 years.

On Sunday night, the Coquitlam team posted a message on social media praising Coyle’s 27 years of service.

“We are heartbroken by the sudden loss of Mike Coyle yesterday while mountain biking. Having started with us almost 27 years ago, he leaves a lasting mark on our team. He will be dearly missed. RIP, Mike. Our deepest sympathy is with Sylvia, Eamon, and all his family and friends,” the post read.

With files from Stephanie Ip and Postmedia News.

dcarrigg@postmedia.com