Ethan Demers

Ethan Demers

1997-2021

It is with great sadness that we announce, at the age of 24, the sudden passing of Ethan Demers on June 10, 2021. Ethan's family and friends are heartbroken and devastated by the loss of such a bright light. Ethan's smile was frequent and genuine. His laughter was famous and infectious.  Time spent with Ethan made that day a good day.  His presence lifted spirits. Ethan's passing has left a large hole in many hearts and lives.

UPDATE : A "Celebration of Life" for Ethan was held Sept 25, 2021. The event was filled with smiles and laughter to go along with our tears. A recording of the event can be found at https://www.youtube.com/playlist?list=PLgUfP9hoJXLcDkPwYQzZcyt9spbvDffuI

Ethan is survived by his loving father (Paul), mother (Michelle), brother (Cameron) and his spouse (Lindsay), uncle (Greg), cousin (Ansil), aunt (Charmaine) and uncle (John).

Ethan developed a passion for hiking and adventure as a result of Outdoor Ed class at Nepean High School.  He planned and went on many hiking trips with "the boys" both in high school and after. Ethan's passion for adventure was further stoked by his school trip to northern India where they helped in several villages. After graduation, Ethan gave back by helping guide some Nepean High School Outdoor Ed trips.

Following high school Ethan saved his money and then set off on an adventure to southeast Asia with one of his best friends, Nick.  The two had countless memorable adventures and made many new friends over the course of almost 5 months of traveling. Upon returning to Canada, Nick started university and Ethan began planning his next adventure. Ethan landed a six month job in Birdsville, Australia, a town of a dozen or so stout souls deep in the outback.  That job provided Ethan with many friends, adventures, and money for more travels afterwards. Before leaving Australia, Ethan ventured to Queensland to go tandem skydiving, with an incredible 40 second freefall and a beach landing. He also went scuba diving at the Great Barrier Reef.  Ethan's adventures continued from there through SE Asia and then back to India, where he bought a second-hand motorcycle and rode it from northern India down to southern India. Ethan then continued his travels in Nepal, where he met up with an Australian friend he met earlier in SE Asia. Together with some new traveling companions they went on an epic 12 day hike to Mount Everest Base Camp. Upon returning to Kathmandu, some members of the group decided to get tattoos. This is where Ethan got his very fitting "Built to Roam" tattoo. Ethan continued on to Hong Kong to meet up with a friend from high school (Jack) and then traveled to China.  Ethan returned to Canada to catch his breath before heading down to the US Virgin Islands to volunteer with hurricane relief.

Ethan was caring, compassionate and had many lifelong friends. He made many new friends during his overseas travels. His easy going nature, genuine caring and compassion allowed him to make friends easily, whether they were new co-workers or people at his favorite coffee shop. He exuded kindness and humanity to every person he met.  While traveling he bought shoes for children in India and would strike up conversations with street beggars, while others brushed them off.  When back in Ottawa and living downtown, Ethan often stopped to talk to people living on the streets and to give them a small "care package" he created for that purpose.

Ethan was constantly learning and growing. He learned from travelling to new places, asking people questions and doing new things. During one of the breaks in his travels, Ethan sat in on a university course in Philosophy just to learn about it. Ethan officially attended university part time this past year.  He was accepted full time into his program of choice this coming fall.

Ethan was taken from us far too soon. He had grown into a wonderful person and we are blessed to have had him in our lives. We were all looking forward to seeing what came next, but he has moved on to a new adventure and we will have to wait to see his smile and hear his laugh again.

For those who may wish to do so, a donation in lieu of flowers to the one of the following charities would be gratefully appreciated; The Canadian Sudden Arrhythmia Death Syndromes (SADS) Foundation, The Ottawa Mission Foundation or the Heart and Stroke Foundation.  Condolences, tributes and donations may be made at www.tubmanfuneralhomes.com.