Honouring a young man who paid the ultimate price for his country, becoming a hero for all

Throughout Whitecourt, there are street signs blazoned with poppies to mark roads named after local veterans. Some streets have been named after an individual or theme without officially changing the roadway’s name for mailing purposes. Examples include Lopes Lane (51 Street), named after Whitecourt Fire Department Captain Larry Lopes, and Legion Street (50 Street) in front of the cenotaph. Soon enough, a portion of another street will join the ranks of those already honoured in this way; 39 Street, at the intersection of 55 Avenue into the River Valley Estates.

During Whitecourt Town Council’s January 24 meeting, Council voted unanimously to add the honorary name “CPL Bartsch Lane” to the portion of 39 Street entering the trailer park, along the Athabasca Terrace parking lot. Local veteran Cole Bartsch died a hero, along with five Canadian soldiers and an Afghan interpreter, on July 4, 2007, when the vehicle they were travelling in struck a massive roadside bomb not far outside of Kandahar City. Forever frozen at 23, Bartsch is an example of courage, strength, love, determination, fearlessness, and life. Though his time was short, he spent his life living to the fullest and loved making people laugh, sharing his big, infectious smile with the world. 

Years before his feet touched the ground in Kandahar, Bartsch was a typical Whitecourt kid. Always with a smile on his face, he was beloved by friends and family and grew into an exceptional young man. “Cole was a giant nerd,” giggled his older sister, Tara. “He loved comic books. He would literally go to school and walk down the hallways at Hilltop with a sandwich in one hand, a book in the other, wearing big winter packer boots, and it would be June. He never got teased or bullied and was everybody’s favourite person.”

For Tara and her family, Cole’s loss is immeasurable. “My mom’s biggest fear is that people will forget him. I know for me, I don’t think that because I see him everywhere, but for her, that’s a huge thing.” Each year, the Bartsch family, surrounded by friends and family, gets together at the family acreage to celebrate Cole’s life. “We play volleyball, have a barbeque, and tell stories around the bonfire. It’s important to all of us to keep his memory alive, and having these get-togethers helps do that,” explained Tara. Having a street renamed for her brother will help share his sacrifice with residents. “Everyone drives by that area, and soon people will be able to see his sign, CPL Bartsch Lane. I can’t wait until the first time I get to see it up. It will be emotional for us.”

The area where the sign will stand, at the entrance to the River Valley Estates, is part of why it will be such an emotional moment. “We used to live in the River Valley Estates. We lived there when we first moved to Whitecourt. So, that’s where we grew up, and we played in what used to be a big field between the old River Valley Estates and the green apartment building. That development in between was a giant empty field, and we would play football and baseball there. The area that they are naming after Cole is essentially where we would have played as children. It’s very special for us. We grew up together in that field.”

Tara said that she credits Councillor Derek Schlosser and Director of Community Services Chelsea Grande for their role in making the moment happen. “Kudos to Chelsea. She was amazing in this process. She asked us where we first lived when we lived in town, and that’s when we shared about the River Valley Estates area. We lived there from the time I was five until about grade 10, so a pretty long time. Chelsea came back with the idea to name that street entrance at 39 Street. It’s cool because we didn’t know we could do that.”

Tara said that the family had initially thought about naming the football field at Hilltop High School but decided against it. “There’s already a plaque at Hilltop with his name, and he is talked about every November,” she explained. Then they talked about the football field at Graham Acres. “I’ve since learned that the plan one day would mean there isn’t a football field in that spot. That’s when we were given the idea of the street.” Tara said that she and the family were delighted with the idea.

There was much support for renaming an area, including Cole’s football coach at Hilltop High School, Kevin Babiuk, and Whitecourt Legion Service Officer Kyle Scott. “He played football from when he was a little kid until he graduated. Right out of high school, he joined the military. He didn’t know what he wanted to do, but Cole figured that joining the military would give him some kind of purpose and then he ended up falling in love with it. He was just a typical small-town kid. I think that’s what I want people to know most about him.”

Tara also wants people to realize that veterans aren’t just fathers and grandfathers. “They are young brothers too.” On July 4, 2022, it will be 15 years since Cole’s passing. Tara said that she hopes the sign unveiling can occur in conjunction with the anniversary. “We’ve got family and friends who would like to come out for that. Since we would be outside, I’m hoping that it would be more lenient with restrictions and enable us to have it be a bit bigger. We will see if that timeline works out.”

Also, part of the anniversary, Tara said she is creating a storybook for her mom, Juanita, filled with stories about Cole. She hopes that the Whitecourt community can help her with the project. “It could be the dumbest or silliest stories, and we want to know them. We want to hear from his friends and the memories that people have. Even if it’s just a small memory from a teacher or anyone, we would love those to be shared with us so we can add them to the book.” People can send their stories to taralrbartsch@outlook.com.

“My brother was one of the most amazing people in the world. We love him. We miss him. We are very proud to live in a community that goes the extra mile to do things like this. Whitecourt is a big community, but this kind of thing shows how small it is and how tight-knit it is. We do things for each other, and something like this sign is such a big deal for my family, and we are grateful that Cole’s name will be there for all to see very soon.”