Elderly woman fatally stabbed in Pickering, Ont., was welcoming to 'any stranger,' former pastor says
'She would be the first one to want to see this young man get help and... forgive him,' says Kevin Armstrong
When Kevin Armstrong received an emergency alert after the deadly stabbing of an elderly woman in Pickering on Thursday, he thought he recognized the address listed in it.
The pastor, who knew the victim from her three decades at his church, wondered at first if it could really be who he thought it was. His wife called the woman and left a voicemail, hopeful it wasn't true.
"When we found out later on it was her, we were devastated. We were floored," he told CBC News.
"She would have been welcoming to any person, any stranger coming up to her. She would have had her hands wide open to see what she could do to help them."
CBC is not naming the victim at her family's request.
The woman, who the community says was a retired kindergarten teacher in her 80s, was outside her home when she was repeatedly stabbed in an attack police describe as unprovoked, "sadistic and cowardly."
A 14-year-old boy has been arrested and charged with first-degree murder in connection to her death after an hours-long search, during which nearby residents were asked to shelter in place.
His identity is protected under the Youth Criminal Justice Act. Police have said they believe he was unknown to the woman.
Armstrong said the circumstances surrounding the woman's death are tragic.
"She would be the first one to want to see this young man get help and the first one to forgive him," he said.
'You wouldn't find a better person'
Armstrong said the woman was a member of the Forest Brook Community Church in Ajax, where he is a senior pastor. She was part of the church for many years before moving to St. Paul's Church with her husband, he said.
Armstrong told CBC Toronto the woman's husband had mobility challenges and she was his primary caregiver.
"This will be very hard for him," he said.
Known to be generous, kind, friendly and witty, the woman was loved within their congregation, Armstrong said, adding she took part in their seniors' group and library committee.
"You wouldn't find a better person," he said.
Peoples Christian Academy, a private school in Markham, confirmed the woman was a kindergarten teacher there in the early 70s.
Remembered for her sense of humour, Armstrong said the woman and her husband kept a scarecrow at the side of their fence. The couple would dress it up and decorate it — switching up the outfits for different seasons or holidays like Halloween and Christmas.
"She did that for her neighbourhood so people walking by would see this scarecrow and [it would] bring a smile to their face," said Armstrong.
"That was one of the things that was really special about her. She loved to have fun and she loved to play."
Several bouquets of flowers were laid outside the victim's home on Friday, with cards expressing condolences and calling her "a beautiful soul that was taken too soon."
Neighbours told CBC News the woman was an avid gardener and believed she was tending to her front yard when the stabbing happened.
Pickering Mayor Kevin Ashe confirmed the woman was in her 80s and said her death has struck a chord within the community.
He said he spoke with her neighbours Thursday, who described her as a "very nice" woman, who walked her dogs in the neighbourhood and took care of her husband.
"It's obviously ripped the family apart. So it is very, it's very, very dramatic and traumatic," he told CBC Radio's Metro Morning earlier Friday.
Armstrong said his church will change their upcoming Sunday service to reflect on the tragedy.
"We'll grieve. A lot of people who knew her have broken hearts. We started that process already."
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With files from Rochelle Raveendran and The Canadian Press