Page 17 - September 2019

They found it on the first day of the search. Kapusta Marcella Gran died about 12 hours after the plane
texted Miller with the good news. was found. Rather than tell her immediately, it was
“We have two families that have been provided with decided to wait until the next morning. She died in
closure and it has also provided closure for the people her sleep that night.
living in the area. It was always on their minds as well,” It was in 2006 when Miller promised Maurice Gran, a
Miller said. pilot himself, that he would continue to help locate
A man from Michel Village on Peter Pond Lake was the the plane.
last person to hear the sound of the propeller. He heard
“Maurice told me where he thought the plane was.
the plane circling before the sound of the plane hitting
Looking at the location on the map of the lake, that
the water. He is now 93 years old. plane was found so close to where he said it was that
“The great people of Michel Village and Dillon, and
it still boggles my mind.”
others living in the northern part of the province
provided untold hours of assistance and generosity,” Maurice Gran died in 2007.
Miller said. It has been 60 years since Ray Gran and Harold
“They were feeding the crew out on the lake and helping Thompson died. Now there is closure for the
with everything they possibly could. They were directly families.
involved in getting the aircraft out of the water.
“I feel proud of what I was able to do; I’m just one
“It was a very emotional experience for the people
working on the crew.” small piece in the puzzle,” Miller said. “I like to think I
maybe lit the fuse and got it rolling, but others
It was emotional experience for Miller who had met Ray
picked the baton up and ran with it.”
Gran.
The wreckage of plane can be seen at the
“Even though was 12 years old, I remember Raymond
Saskatchewan Aviation Museum and Learning Centre
and his moustache. He was someone who was living not
in Saskatoon.
that far away from us and all of a sudden he is gone. But
it was probably more emotional for me knowing I
helped.”
Once the aircraft had been located, the next step was
searching for remains and personal items.
A dive in September 2018 was called off.

“That lake is over 400 square miles of open water,”
Miller said. “Even a slight breeze you are going to wind
up with five- and six-feet waves. To hold any kind of
boat 58 or 60 feet above the wreckage in a still position
and do almost anything with divers down below is going
to be almost an impossibility.”

It was decided that it would be best to try in the winter. Other commitments prevented Miller from being at
In January, divers brought up human remains and some Peter Pond Lake when the plane was lifted out of the
personal belongings. A couple of months later, the plane water earlier this year.
was pulled from the icy water.
“I was there in spirit.
Resting on one of the
wings was Ray Gran’s
wedding ring. Linda Rae
Kapusta now wears it on
a chain.

I feel I had done my part, so I figured it was time to

pass the baton and let others continue and do what
they had to do.”