The curling community is mourning the loss of one of the sports giants, Paralympic gold medalist Darryl Neighbour.

“He took something that was a tragedy and could have devastated his life, and perhaps turned it into the best part of his life,” said his niece, Starleigh Genovese.

Before he was inducted into the Canadian Curling Hall of Fame – before the national and international titles – Darryl Neighbour fell in love with the game playing in a two-lane rink his dad built in small-town Alberta.

“From young children, we learned to throw rocks from the time we were five or six,” said Linda Neighbour, Darryl’s sister.

But what also came before all the accolades was a workplace accident that took the use of his legs – an event that led him to become one of Canada’s greatest wheelchair curlers of all time.

“He took something that was a tragedy and could have devastated his life, and perhaps turned it into the best part of his life,” said Genovese.

That’s how his family and friends remembered him at a celebration of life on Saturday. 

The giant of the sport passed away in August after being struck by a vehicle while he crossed the street in Richmond. Husky voices eulogized Neighbour – whose crowning achievement was winning gold at the 2010 Paralympic Games in Vancouver.

Vince Miele’s been close with Neighbour since they met at the Marpole Curling Club in the early 2000s – he credits him with growing the sport, no matter what it took.

“Not many curling clubs, if any I guess, were really wheelchair accessible when wheelchair curling became a thing. So those of us who got into it, not only wanted to play, but go up and socialize a bit after the game,” said Miele.

What Neighbour did was work with the Rick Hansen Foundation to secure funding, and then personally oversee the construction of an elevator. Whether it was welcoming new players, providing mentorship or simply taking part in the tight-knit curling community – Neighbour never put himself before the game.

“He took what could have been so devastating, ran it to the nth degree, and was still able to be humble about it. A true legend can be humble, and I believe my brother was,” said Linda.

Neighbour was 78 years old.