A Langley father was celebrating his daughter's fifth birthday over the weekend when he drowned in Cultus Lake, Glacier Media has learned.
Police officers were called to Entrance Bay on Saturday after being notified about a drowning.
A man entered the lake but did not resurface. People in the area immediately started to search, but couldn’t find him.
Family and friends have identified the man as Wilson Teah Dargbeh and are remembering him as a loving father and husband.
Dargbeh had moved to Canada three years ago from Liberia and was living in Langley with his wife Lovetee, and two children, a six-year-old boy and a five-year-old girl.
An extensive search was conducted by foot and by boat but Dargbeh could not be located until the next day. The RCMP dive team located and recovered his body.
Foul play is not suspected.
Moved to Canada for a better life
A GoFundMe fundraiser has been created by Dargbeh's employer with all of the money raised going to his family. A second GoFundMe is being organized by the Liberian community and community groups the family belongs to.
Dargbeh was the sole financial provider as Lovetee was not working but raising the children.
"She needs emotional support but most importantly... she needs financial support," says a family friend, noting his wife and kids are being supported by their local community in Langley and also their local church community.
The family needs to cover rent and funeral costs. Lovetee wants to bury her husband in Langley so the children can visit his grave, says the family friend.
"Wilson was a cherished father, husband, son, co-worker, and friend, and his sudden passing has left us all heartbroken," reads the fundraiser.
Gboko Stewart grew up with Dargbeh and says he was a loving family man. The two met as children in 1996 during school in Liberia and have fond memories together.
Dargbeh graduated valedictorian from AME University of Monrovia in economics and graduated from the MBA program at the University of Liberia. He moved to Canada after obtaining a scholarship from the University of British Columbia (UBC). From 2020 to 2022, he was in the Master of Public Policy and Global Affairs program.
"Following his completion of grad school at UBC, he sent for his family to be with him,” says Stewart. “He worked really hard.”
Dargbeh went on to be a graduate research assistant at UBC, worked for Legal Aid BC, and worked for the Vehicle Sales Authority of B.C. in Langley.
Colleagues say he positively impacted them, "bringing enthusiasm, kindness, and thoughtfulness to each day."
Dargbeh is remembered as a kind, studious, humble and very respectful person.
"You've left an indelible mark in our hearts that can't just be filled. You would inspire every room where academicians had gathered,” wrote Rufus Senyon.
