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Penticton  

Memorial bench planned for Penticton teen stabbed in Kelowna

'Don't forget' Elijah

The family of a Penticton teen stabbed to death in Kelowna last summer is hoping to raise funds for a memorial bench in his honour, at the skate park that meant so much to him. 

Elijah "Eli" Beauregard was 16 when he was attacked in a downtown Kelowna parking lot on June 27, 2019. A witness at the time told Castanet he saw Beauregard stabbed and left to bleed out. 

A young woman is facing a manslaughter charge in the matter, due in court next for an arraignment hearing Nov. 3. Because she was a minor at the time of the alleged crime, her name is protected. 

Eli's grandfather Garner Stone understands the wheels of justice move slow, with little public progress in the 16 months since his grandson has been gone. He came up with the idea of a memorial bench to keep Eli's memory alive. 

"He was a great kid. At this point now, we just don't want to have anyone forget," Stone said. "We thought the skate park would be somewhere nice, just so his friends can have a place to go to remember him." 

The plan is for a standard City of Penticton bench with a memorial plaque for Eli, which all-in costs about $3,000. Stone said his GoFundMe campaign has already seen small donations of $5, $10, $20 coming in from friends of his grandson, and comments sharing memories.

"He was such a kind kid. He would always see the other person's side of things, he was never judgemental. He would never judge anybody by how they dressed or what they did, he was just an open and honest kid," Stone said. 

Eli spent a lot of his time at the Penticton Skate Park, where a memorial was held following his death.

"He was our happy little skateboarder. Ever since he was a little tyke, he was always on his skateboard," Stone said with an affectionate chuckle. "He was not afraid, I'll put it that way ... there was nothing that scared that little boy." 

His friends have shared memories of Eli's bright, infectious smile and happy spirit.

Stone hopes to raise the money this fall and have the bench installed by Christmas Eve, which would have been Eli's 18th birthday. 

Find the GoFundMe for Eli's bench here



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