A trust fund has been set up to help the son and daughter of Abbotsford mother Leanne Friesen (above) who was found shot to death last Wednesday. The victim's estranged husband Jeffrey Friesen has been charged with second-degree murder.
Photograph by: File photo , Abbotsford Times
Friends and family have set up a trust fund for the two children of an Abbotsford woman who was murdered last week.
Leanne Friesen, 40, was found by Abbotsford Police dead in her home with gunshot wounds on Feb. 6. Her estranged husband, Jeffrey Friesen, was arrested on scene and is charged with second-degree murder.
Relatives and friends are looking to make provisions for the victim's son, 11, and daughter, 12.
Friesen didn't have life insurance and her husband has emptied her accounts and RRSP savings, according to her family.
The trust fund will be used to keep the children's lives as normal as possible and look after them in the future, said Leanne's longtime friend, Michelle Boyd.
"They've lost their mother and, really, their father," she said.
Kevin Mack, the victim's younger brother, said the children are safe with family and coping well for the moment.
"They are doing good right now," said Mack.
"They understand what's going on, but it hasn't yet come full circle for them. It's going to be a progression over time."
Family members want to ensure Leanne's son can continue playing hockey and her daughter can still pursue her music and dance, said Mack.
The fund will help mitigate in a small way the "tragic injustice" they've suffered, he said.
"It's not going to change what happened to them, but hopefully make their future a little better."
- Contributions to the trust fund can be made through any Envision credit union branch to account number 6793277 at the Envision Abbotsford Village Branch, 2090 Sumas Way.
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