The loss of Nick Major is being felt deeply by the Parksville Qualicum Beach community.
The 21-year-old Parksville man died of rabies earlier this week following a brief encounter with a bat in mid-May.
Major was an instructor at Cascadia Martial Arts in Parksville and Brett Fee, head instructor at Cascadia Martial Arts, was Major’s first martial arts teacher. Major had been attending Cascadia since a young age, and started working as a teacher five or six years ago according to Fee.
Fee remembers Major as a kind, dedicated and passionate young man.
“He was just a really easy-going kind of guy. He was quick to gain the trust of the parents of the kids. They knew they could trust him with the kids; he was really good with them and he cared about what he did,” said Fee.
READ MORE: Parksville man dies from rabies after contact with Vancouver Island bat
“He didn’t just punch in and punch out. He didn’t treat it like a job – it was more like a passion.”
Major taught children as well as adults’ classes in taekwondo and kickboxing.
“He did just about everything for us,” said Fee.
A post from Major’s mother, Carmen, was shared on the Cascadia Martial Arts Facebook page on July 13, announcing Major’s passing.
Underneath the post is an outpouring of love, support and condolences. More than 130 comments have been left beneath the post.
“He meant a lot. Based on all the Facebook comments and everybody chiming in, he touched a lot of people; he made a huge impact on a lot of people,” said Fee.
Many of the posts express their gratitude for Major’s presence in the Cascadia community. To read more, click here.
- with a file from Karly Blats