Family, friends mourn vibrant woman

By BILL LAYE, THE SUN

Family and friends of a Calgarian drowned in a scuba accident on the West Coast are remembering her as a vibrant woman whose life ended far too soon.

Whitney Barham, 20, died last Wednesday in a Victoria hospital after attempts to revive her proved fruitless.

Two days earlier, she and boyfriend Patrick Clark had been diving in an area known as Ogden Point when Whitney ran into trouble in rough water and lost her regulator, said her heartbroken mom Caroline.

"Patrick was very heroic ... he did everything he could," Caroline said last night.

Caroline said the loss of Whitney has devastated the family.

"She was just a sweet, sweet girl."

Had she lived, she definitely would have gone on to do great things, said her former principal, Derrick Mohamed.

"At her graduation she said she wanted to be an astronaut, doctor or pilot," Mohamed said of the former class valedictorian.

Funeral services are set for 2 p.m. Tuesday at Sacred Heart Catholic church.

Former classmates and teachers will celebrate her life 7 p.m. Wednesday at her High School.