LUKE DOUGLAS BELDING

It is with great sadness and broken hearts that we announce the passing of Luke Belding at 29 years old after a long battle with acute lymphoblastic leukemia. He passed peacefully with his wife by his side on September 12th, 2020 at the Health Sciences Centre in Winnipeg, MB.

Luke is survived by his wife Lindsey (Winnipeg, MB); their cat, Penny; and puppy, Zoey; all of whom he loved dearly. Luke is also survived by his parents, Mary Britten-Belding and Oscar Belding (Sussex, NB); his older brother, Benjamin and wife Kaila (Calgary, AB); and his younger sister, Madeline (Windsor, ON). He is also survived by his Nana, Elise Britten (Sydney, NS); as well as numerous aunts, uncles, and cousins who love and miss him very much.

Luke was born on May 7th, 1991 in Saint John, NB. He grew up in Sussex, NB, and was a talented athlete playing basketball, volleyball, soccer and football for the Sonics. Luke graduated from Sussex Regional High School in 2009 as a two-time Athlete of the Year in addition to being a top scholar. Luke represented New Brunswick as a member of the provincial basketball team in 2006 and at the Volleyball Canada 2007 Beach Volleyball Nationals. Luke loved spending his weekends hunting and fishing at the Belding farm and his summers in Cape Breton, NS, with his Britten family. It was there that he discovered his love of the water and aquatic creatures.

He took that passion to Mount Allison University in Sackville, NB where he graduated with a Bachelors of Science in Biology in 2013. From there he pursued a Master's degree in Marine Biology through the prestigious Three Seas program at Northeastern University in Boston, MA. It was in Boston that he met his future wife Lindsey. Luke graduated from Northeastern in 2014 and then set his sights on pursuing a Doctorate degree in the field of aquatic biology. In January 2016 he moved to Winnipeg, MB to begin working on his PhD at the University of Manitoba where he was studying the effects of natural and human induced climate change on lake sturgeon behaviour and physiology under Dr. Gary Anderson.

In his short life, Luke had adventures that took him all over the world - to Australia, Bonaire, Panama, the Pacific Northwest, along the coast of the Eastern United States, and all over Canada. He made deep connections with people wherever he went and was an incredibly kind, intelligent, and caring man. Luke will be remembered for his dark sense of humour, corny jokes, radiant smile, and his hilariously contagious laugh. Luke loved to fish, both for recreation and research, hunt, play sports, swim, scuba dive, and play video games. Luke was also a huge Toronto Raptors fan; watching the Raptors win the 2019 NBA Championship was an experience that he and his siblings shared together even from afar. This was one of the top highlights of the year for him. He loved his family deeply, but most of all, he loved being with the love of his life Lindsey and spending time with her and their fur babies. Luke was happiest doing the simplest of activities with his little family.

Luke met Lindsey online just before he moved to Boston, MA for his Masters degree in 2013. They had a connection before they even met in person. When they finally did meet it felt like they had known each other their whole lives. For the first four years, their relationship was long distance, but this didn’t deter them from falling in love and wanting to spend their lives together. Luke asked Lindsey to marry him on Christmas Day, 2017 and they happily began to plan their future. Then, on January 18, 2018, Luke was diagnosed with ALL and was admitted immediately to begin treatment. Luke’s parents and siblings arrived in Winnipeg to support him during the first stages of his treatment. In June Lindsey moved to Canada permanently after graduating as a Doctor of Pharmacy. On July 13, 2018, after his first stem cell transplant, Luke and Lindsey got married in the hospital sanctuary, surrounded by Luke’s dear friends and colleagues. Luke was so happy to start his life with Lindsey as husband and wife.

Sadly, just when things were starting to look up, Luke relapsed in May of 2019. His disease was able to be controlled, but in April 2020 Luke had to undergo a second stem cell transplant. Shortly after his birthday, Lindsey was diagnosed with the same type of leukemia he had. She was admitted to the same ward that Luke was on and they had one day together before he was discharged to go home. Luke now had to worry about taking care of Lindsey while he himself was trying to recover and regain his strength. Luke was more concerned with Lindsey’s health than his own and did his best to support her. He always thought of others before himself and was one of the most selfless people you would ever meet. Although they were only married for two years, they cared for each other and their fur babies through more ups and downs than most couples go through in a lifetime. Their bond is unbreakable.

No matter how painful this loss is, Luke would want us to continue to live our best lives, take care of ourselves, and work hard at achieving our goals. Luke would want us to cherish our families and friends and take the time to appreciate the little things in life in addition to savouring the big moments. The best ways to honour and remember Luke are to be kind to one another, respect the planet, and be generous with your love the way he did.

Luke, may you rest peacefully and spend your days fishing and swimming in warm waters. You will be loved and remembered forever by all for the incredible person that you are.

For those who would like to extend their kindness to Luke, Lindsey, and the family, we ask that in lieu of flowers please offer your support in the following ways: donate blood or sign up for the bone marrow registry, make a donation to your local cancer care foundation (for example the Cancer Care Manitoba Foundation  who provided excellent care to both Luke and Lindsey over the last three years), or consider contributing to the Go Fund Me account in Support of the Belding's to help give financial assistance during this tough time.

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ETHICAL DEATH CARE

Cremation & Life Celebrations

530 St. Mary Avenue - Winnipeg

204-421-5501 - www.ethicaldeathcare.com

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