Expressing emotions through song has always been a therapeutic outlet for Lower Mainland country song writer George Wolf, who says making music is what he does best.
“It’s one of the few things I know how to do well,” says the lifelong artist and dad who lost his daughter last year when she died after using fentanyl-laced cocaine. Charly Ann Torikka, a 21-year-old Maple Ridge woman, had been attempting to get her life back on track when the tragedy happened.
Almost a year after the fact, Wolf is able to turn his devastation into a loving memory of Charly and a drug awareness educational opportunity for others.
In tribute to his daughter, Mr. Wolf has created a website, remembercharly.com, and a single, “Missing You”. The song itself is about letting people know it’s okay to continue missing a loved one even long after the initial loss. Wolf explains in the song and in person that many have tried to tell him to cheer up and move on but the reality is, grief knows no timeline. “It’s okay to continue missing someone. And it’s ok to be hurting,” says the dad who still remembers his daughter’s musical theatre days and her joy of singing.
Wolf’s single can be found on YouTube and is available for purchase on the website. Wolf explains he and those assisting with the project are raising funds for a bursary they will set up at Torikka’s high school – W.J Mouat Secondary in Abbotsford which has a New Beginnings program for teen moms. In addition, funds raised will go toward the B.C. Hospice Society and the families the society supports. There are also links to drug awareness programs run by the Abbotsford Police.
The latest 2017 report issued by the B.C. Coroners Service shows there were 129 suspected drug overdose deaths in May 2017 which equates to a 158 per cent increase over the number of deaths occurring in the same month the year before. In the first four months of 2017, there were 488 illicit drug overdose deaths in B.C., the report states further. If this pace continues, the number of overdose deaths in B.C. could surpass 1,400 by the end of the year.
