Fundraiser started to bring home late Blood Tribe member

By Greg Bobinec on January 26, 2021.

LETHBRIDGE HERALDgbobinec@lethbridgeherald.com

The family of a Blood Tribe member who passed away from COVID-19 is trying to raise funds to help bring him home to lay to rest on the traditional land he was raised upon.
Waylon Blood was born and raised in southern Alberta, was living in Tucson, Arizona, where he had been working at a pharmaceutical company for roughly six years. He contracted COVID-19 shortly after Christmas, and his condition quickly declined. The Blood family now had the difficult task of bringing Waylon back to his final resting place.
“He’s a member of the Blood Tribe, the largest reserve in Canada, so traditionally speaking, we wanted to have him brought home to the traditional lands of the Blackfoot,” says Kyle Blood, Waylon’s brother. “Unfortunately, the cost that comes with moving a body is going to cost us $7,000 and that’s in U.S. funds.”
Community support has been strong throughout the Blood Tribe, as Waylon was a former Blood Tribe Police Service dispatcher and a well-known community member on the reserve.
A number of efforts have been made to help raise the funds to cover the costs of transportation, including a 50-50 draw that completed over the weekend.
The Blood family is still accepting e-transfer donations, as well as donations to Cornerstone Funeral Home directed to the family.
“Going through the loss of a loved one pays a toll, it has its stresses, and also the stress of trying to bring our brother home because we would love him home to rest in peace,” says Blood.
Family members have expressed their appreciation for the support from friends, family and community members that have helped them get through this difficult time. E-transfers can be directed to blood.cara@outlook.com, or through Cornerstone Funeral Home at funeral@telus.net., with the indication it is for Waylon Blood.

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