Students usually return to school after the Christmas holidays, but Theo Gibbs, 18, suddenly died in his sleep.
Theo Gibbs was staying at his family’s place in Regina
In January, Gibbs, 18, was supposed to head back to the LCC baseball team but unexpectedly died in his sleep on December 30, 2022 at his family’s home in Regina.
“Our baseball program is heartbroken by the passing of Theo Gibbs,” said Avilla.
“We send our prayers and wish his family comfort, peace, and strength as they mourn the loss of their oldest son. Although our time was brief, Theo’s smile and energy was infectious.”
Baseball was not the only sport that Gibbs played. While growing up, he suited up with two minor hockey teams: the Regina Shamrocks and Regina Cougars.
Family friend Chantel Kaufmann organized a GoFundMe to help the family with funeral costs.
As of Wednesday, more than $49,000 was raised from 555 donors, with donations ranging from $10 to $1,000.
“I’m not up on my social media-type things, but my kids told me it was the Number 1-trending GoFundMe in all of North America or something like that,” said Kaufmann.
“It really shows you the love that people have for his family. It’s a great family that is well respected and works really hard and would do this at the drop of the hat for anyone else. They know that they have helped out in so many ways when people have gone through hard times.”
“It’s really very sad. He was a great kid and it’s a really great family. You really don’t want to see this happen to anybody.”