The pedestrian struck and killed Tuesday near the corner of First Avenue and Quebec Street is being remembered as a loving father and hard worker who was working to get his life back in order after hitting some emotional headwinds.
Danial William Warner, 63, was in Prince George looking for a fresh start. Despite facing a lot of mental health issues, he was never one to ask for help, says daughter Kristen Ormiston.
"He was very determined to do things on his own and he was fairly private about a lot of things," Ormiston said in a telephone interview from her home in Peterborough, Ontario. "He was a very proud man...he didn't want to be a burden on anybody."
Ormiston couldn't say for sure but believes Warner had been in Prince George since the start of this year.
After going through a divorce, Warner had moved to Kelowna from Peterborough about eight years ago to be closer to his parents. By then his four children had grown up and were out of the house.
When his parents died, Warner headed north looking for work and a place to stay with a long-term goal of heading back to Ontario and being with his five grandchildren.
Warner was a plumber by trade who, according to an obituary provided to the Citizen by his family, could fix anything, worked hard his whole life and owned his own business for a time.
Outside of work, Warner was an avid outdoor enthusiast who loved fishing, camping and canoeing and was known for how long he could hold his breath underwater and how quickly he could build a campfire.
When he was living in Kelowna, he volunteered much of his spare time to the Salvation Army and thrived on connecting with others.
"He always wanted to be a provider," Ormiston said.
Warner kept in touch with his family. Ormiston said they would converse over Facetime at least once a week and he would call her over the phone occasionally.
"The week before it was my daughter's birthday, he called to wish her a happy birthday," Ormiston noted.
They had last talked during the last week of October when he called to say he could be out of touch for awhile until he could find a way to recharge his phone.
As to what happened on Tuesday, Ormiston said she's been given few details but is urging anyone who may have information to step forward.
Prince George RCMP are asking the driver of a white Ford 150 pickup truck seen at the scene to contact the detachment but have otherwise remained tight lipped about the circumstances.
Ormiston said she reached out to the Citizen because she wanted to put a face to the tragedy.
"He was a dad, a grandfather, an uncle, a brother, a son, he was a human," Ormiston said. "He wasn't always in the greatest circumstances but he still deserves to be recognized."
