B.C. man who devoted nearly three decades to rescuing strangers dies in Squamish

A devoted partner and caring father who spent nearly three decades volunteering his time to rescue strangers has died while mountain biking in Squamish.

Michael Coyle, 56, was found unresponsive on a trail.

Sylvia Fuller, his partner of more than 20 years, said despite the best efforts of other riders who found him and Squamish paramedics, he died on Saturday.

“There was no sign of any kind of crash, he just collapsed basically,” Fuller said.

Coyle, who lived in Squamish and Burnaby, was part of Coquitlam Search and Rescue for 28 years. Many say he’s had an immense impact on B.C.’s rescue community.

“He just cared about people, and it was the big things with the search and rescue, but it was also just like the little things,” Fuller said.

From helping strangers to taking care of his family, Coyle showed up and never complained, she said.

“He was such a good dad. He was so devoted to his son.”

Condolences poured in on Monday, remembering Coyle for his kindness, leadership, and dedication to helping others.

“It comes as a shock. We’re all just in a state of disbelief,” said Nick Zupan, president of Coquitlam Search and Rescue.

When he was 25, Coyle discovered he had a genetic disease that would leave his kidneys riddled with cysts by age 50.

He asked for help finding a potential organ donor on social media, and within days received messages from people wanting to help.

In 2019, Coyle told CBC News, “It was a very emotional thing. I told my partner. This person wants to give me a kidney.”

He asked for help finding a potential organ donor on social media, and within days received messages from people wanting to help

Fuller said a member of the SAR community came forward as a donor, and Coyle’s kidney transplant gave him his life back.

Loss felt ‘far and wide’

Coyle also worked as a software engineer and spent time volunteering with other rescue teams in the province, helping them with their technology.

“He’s always been a leader in that,” Zupan said. “As far as our website and IT support for our team, he’s been instrumental.”

He said Coyle was a passionate advocate for safety in B.C.

“He’s been a member of the outdoor community here since he was a young kid, so the impact of this is far and wide.”

Zupan and Coyle worked closely with North Shore Rescue before developing their own long-line helicopter rescue program.

Together, they made up the long-line helicopter rescue team for the 2010 Olympic Games in Whistler.

In 2019, Coyle received the Sovereign’s Medal for Volunteers for his dedication to assisting people who were lost or injured in the backcountry, along with his work advancing search and rescue methods and technology.

Long-time friend Brent Calkin, a team leader with Lions Bay Search and Rescue, said he first met Coyle at a mutual-aid search and rescue callout.

“I’m very happy to actually have known him in person and had a very warm friendship with him,” Calkin said, adding that Coyle had a legendary impact in B.C.

“He was such an amazing and tireless source of information and thoughtful information for the entire search and rescue community.”

Creating an alert system for people with dementia

Back in 2013, Coyle was on a search for an elderly man who had dementia, who was never found.

“He was really affected by that, and so he did something about it,” Fuller said.

Coyle worked with Sam Noh, whose father was the man who disappeared, to create B.C. Silver Alert, a public notification system for when a person with dementia, autism, or cognitive issues goes missing.

“He gave countless hours to supporting families, raising awareness, advocating for change, and improving the response for vulnerable missing adults,” Noh said.  

“His dedication and determination were instrumental in bringing the B.C. Silver Alert to life and advocating for vulnerable missing adults and their families.”

Fuller said Coyle was invited to give a speech about B.C. Silver Alert next week.

“He was still working on it, he was kind of relentless,” Fuller said. “He obviously was someone who was deeply invested in helping people.”

Coquitlam SAR is planning a celebration of life for Coyle.