People lost a lot in post-tropical storm Fiona, but Norm Hinks lost the most

When Norm Hinks was 16, he gave his girlfriend, Thelma Leamon, a present: a pocket knife and a lucky rabbit's paw.

They split up shortly after — like most high school sweethearts do.

Thirty-five years later, Hinks and Leamon rekindled their love. When they moved in together in Port aux Basques, N.L., Thelma still had the pocket knife and rabbit's paw.

In the 23 years that followed, the couple made up for lost time and were seldom apart.

Now, in his temporary accommodations at a one-bedroom cottage for seniors, Hinks peels carrots and turnips destined for the rabbit stew bubbling away on the stove.

"We don't get sick or colds because we eat fairly healthy," Hinks said, before pausing and adding, "I say we, but it's only me now."

A green camouflage couch sits in the living room, and a muted TV plays a reality show about hunting.

As if there were any doubt, Hinks declares he's a "hunting fanatic," and adds that he had the best hunting partner in Leamon.

She didn't like to take selfies. But on their last moose hunting trip, Leamon was unusually enthusiastic to take one while sitting on their all-terrain vehicle.

"So I took the picture, and she said, 'Let me look at it,'" Hinks said. "And she said, 'Oh, we gotta smile. Take another.'"

That photo — taken on a Wednesday — is the only thing hanging on Hinks's walls.

Leamon, 73, died three days later — on Saturday, Sept. 24, 2022 — when post-tropical storm Fiona violently ripped through the southwest coast of Newfoundland, bringing significant damage, lost homes, flooding and washed-out roads. Port aux Basques declared a state of emergency.

The body of Leamon, a grandmother, was found on Sunday. She was the only person in Newfoundland and Labrador who lost their life in the storm.

Hinks, 73, takes a deep sigh and shakes his head a little when he thinks back to that day.