DJ Hancock memorial moved to safer site

Kim and Dean Hancock watched quietly as a group of young men set up relocating the roadside memorial for their son DJ Hancock on the morning of Dec. 7.

Hancock, 18, was killed by a drunk driver on Aug. 21 on Highway 17.

“We wanted the original site moved off the highway for safety,” said Dean, “a lot of kids stop and visit...we don't want any other tragedies on the highway.”

The site of the accident where the memorial was originally set up has narrow shoulders running across the busy stretch of highway 17, and DJ's parents worried about well-wishers safely visiting the area.

The new location is set beside Country Side Arena, on a more secluded section of road.

“It's a nice spot to reflect,” said Kim Hancock, “I don't know if it will mean as much to the boys moving it (the memorial), but at least it gives us the peace of mind.”

DJ's childhood friend and teammate Frankie Anzil, was one of the young men who the organized building the memorial and helped gather together friends to move it Sunday.

“We built the site when DJ passed, we had spent the afternoon building with what we thought was appropriate and represented him perfectly,” said Anzil, “he has a lot of friends, and everyone had a story about him, it's nice to see how many people have stopped to visit.”

A true reflection of that, is the outpouring of the support that the family has received for the “Splash pad of Champions”, a memorial fund to honour DJ by constructing a splash pad in the South end of the city.

After getting through the initial voting round of the Aviva Community Fund initiative, the family wanted to remind people that the final day to vote for the DJ Hancock memorial splash pad is Wednesday Dec. 10.

“There is no better way to honour such a passionate and caring young man than to create a destination that incorporates the things he loved: hockey, spending time with family, laughing and loving life,” said a project description on the Aviva page.

Dean Hancock said it was overwhelming to see the way in which Sudbury has responded to the tragedy, and really come together to support him and his family.

“We've been hearing so many great things about DJ from people,” said Dean, “It's like you know your kids at home, but you don't know about all the things they do outside, and we've just been hearing so many good things that make us proud”

The new memorial, set up with a cross, weight bench, hockey sticks, and various other sports paraphernalia, now rests beside Countryside Drive, underneath the bypass along Long Lake Road.

To learn more about the splash pad project and to vote, visit www.avivacommunityfund.org/ideas/acf19607 or “Splash pad of Champions- In Memory of Dj Hancock” on Facebook.