My brother, Evan LeBlanc, was so much fun. He always knew exactly what to say or do to put a smile on your face (or a chuckle in your heart) when you needed one. He was adventurous, brave, and excelled at everything he put his mind to.
Despite being a bit of a rebel, he was also a talented healer who wanted to help and cared deeply about those he loved.
He was loved by SO many people too.
If you're reading this, you're probably one of them.
And you probably know that he wasn't just my brother - he was also my bandmate, roommate, and best friend from the moment he was born. We were so close in age, height, hobbies and spirit that many people mistook us for twins (haha).
What you might not know is that he was the biggest influence on me getting started as a singer and songwriter: he won battle of the bands in high school, was the first in our family to write and record original songs, and started taking vocal lessons, which inspired me to do the same. He was always the biggest champion of my music, a part of all my projects, sang a duet with me at my first recital and insisted our brother-sister band (Purl of Surf) start performing my songs when I finally got up the courage to come out of the songwriter's closet and play one for him.
It won't be the same without him, but I really do believe he's still here with us - in spirit and in the songs.
He didn't want a funeral (never was the type to want a big deal made about him) and was a very private person when it came to his health. So, out of respect for his values while he was alive, we are choosing to respect them in his passing and request everyone do the same.
That said, we recognize when a loved one passes away, it isn't just the family that grieves - and funerals are a ceremonial way for everyone to make peace, comfort each other, and heal.
So, in place of a funeral, here is a list of personal and meaningful ways I know he would LOVE for you to celebrate his life and keep his memory joyfully in your heart, no matter where you are in the world…
- Go to karaoke and rock out to your favourite Our Lady Peace song (his go-to was ‘Somewhere Out There’, mine was ‘Superman’s Dead').
- Take your best friend to a rock concert (the harder the rock, the better) or a stand up comedy show.
- Play a round of Wordle in his honour (if you're really keen, play until you get it right on your first try - like he did - or play every day until you beat his record… it was over 100 in a row).
- Go camping (he'll give you bonus points if you canoe to your campsite).
- Host a games night (one of his favourite ways to spend quality time with friends. Bonus points if you play Scrabble).
- Adopt a cat (or three, like he did - bonus points if you get them from a guy on a motorcycle, lol - long story).
- Go for a massage and give your therapist an extra big tip (he was the best of the best RMTs).
- Grow a moustache in November and/or donate to Movember (he was a big supporter and did this every year).
- Wear the boldest pink you can find and rock it like it's no one's business (he made it cool before Ken did).
- Write a novel as part of Nanowrimo during National Novel Writing Month (he was working on a book himself).
- Write a song (or listen to his Soundcloud page - note: his sense of humour was crass, but the one about ‘kitties’ really is a true story about his cats - I witnessed it myself - *cringe*).
- Take an Inflatable Rubber Duck for a float down a lazy river (he's responsible for our family's entire fleet of them, lol).
- Do a Hot One's Challenge (something he was excited about, but we didn't get around to) or just eat some spicy food.
- Go out for All You Can Eat Sushi (and really go for it!)
- Get fancy and cook yourself a gourmet dinner at home.
- Put on Beautiful Day by Len and sing along to the chorus as you start a dance party in your kitchen.
- Sponsor a kid's baseball season this summer (he was known as ‘Angelz in the Outfield’ when we played growing up and was still making the craziest diving catches and stealing home like lightning as an adult too. He loved that game - and his teammates - very much)
- Scroll to the very bottom of my Instagram page and leave him a love note (he was my first post).
- Race your sister around the skating rink (he was SO fast! I could never catch him)
- Give your brother a hug and tell him you love him.
Sending a big (virtual) ~hug~ from me to you too,
Meghaan
P.S. (for anyone who would like to watch his final musical performance, get downloads of his music, hear our new songs when they come out, or just stay in touch, shoot me an email below).