Family, community mourn couple who died in Lynn Lake fishing accident

It took two weeks to find the body of Philip Rogers after he died with his partner, Diana Colomb, in a fishing accident in northern Manitoba, and that delay made his death especially difficult for the family, his daughter says.

Rodgers, 61, of Lynn Lake, and Colomb, 30, were fishing on Cockeram Lake on Oct. 15 when their boat capsized. Colomb's body was found the next day, but Rodgers's wasn't discovered until Oct. 30.

"Nobody would ever expect to lose their parents like this ever, and nobody should ever have to," said Priscilla Rodgers, 31, the eldest of his children.

Rodgers, who was originally from Newfoundland, moved to the northern Manitoba community of Lynn Lake in the early 1990s where he worked as a transport driver and an operator of heavy equipment.

He had 10 children, with five kids ranging in age from two to 13 who were still under his care. 

"We've all been very shocked," she said. "It's very tragic and devastating."

Rogers says she has fond memories of her dad, who was upbeat and loved to joke.

"He really enjoyed being a dad," she said. "That was definitely his No. 1 passion … being a dad and loving his children. He loved children, that's why he had so many. He had a lot and he was very kind and very generous."

Her father was a big part of his community and loved the outdoors, Rogers recalled. 

"I spent a lot of time with him, even when I was like a baby — going to work with him and him … teaching us like survival skills, like taking us camping and fishing." 

Colomb was mother to three of Rodgers's youngest children. 

The night of the accident in mid-October, her father and Colomb were checking their fishing nets, which they frequently did, but the weather wasn't great, Rogers says.

She was in Thompson when she got a call at 9 p.m. from her brother, who was watching the young siblings, saying the couple hadn't returned.

Another sibling called RCMP to alert them but were told it was too late to search, she said.