Harwinder Singh knew how to put a smile on someone’s face, said Lily Harding, one of Singh’s managers at Papa John’s on Smythe Street in Fredericton.
“He was always fun to have around,” Harding said of the 26-year-old who worked at the independently owned restaurant.
Singh, who was hoping to gain permanent residency in Canada, was “an incredibly fast learner,” said Harding.
“No matter how busy it was or, you know, how bad things were going here — if it was bad customers or just one of those days — he always knew how to make everyone laugh and just feel good about the shift.”
Singh, from Mohali in the Punjab state of India, died in a single-vehicle crash on Dec. 26 on Highway 2 near Edmundston on his way back from Montreal, one of the places he lived before moving to New Brunswick.
An RCMP news release, which does not name Singh, said three people were in the vehicle at the time of the crash. The driver and another passenger were taken to hospital with what were believed to be non-life-threatening injuries. The RCMP did not answer questions related to the condition of other passengers or what caused the crash.
The Friday before his death, Harding was with Singh and the rest of the staff, goofing around and enjoying the fact that it wasn’t a very busy Friday shift.
With only a few days before Christmas, everyone was wearing reindeer antlers and bows that Harding brought in.
She said they’ve never lost an employee before, so Singh’s death came as a shock.
“I think it just really went to show that, you know, tomorrow’s never promised,” she said.
“We’ve all just kind of been reminiscing about when he was here. … Anytime that someone passes away, you always wish you cherished the time more. So I feel that’s what a lot of us are feeling right now.”
Erica Vallis, owner of the Papa John’s franchise, echoed Harding’s feelings. She said Singh started working for the pizza shop in July right after moving to Fredericton, and he proved himself to be a “really great person” who was always in a good mood coming to work.
“He had a kind, kind heart,” she said.
“He was a hard worker and he’s gone way too soon.”
She said on the Friday before Christmas when everyone was wearing the antlers, Singh was walking around jingling his head and laughing about it.
Vallis said she found out about Singh’s death when she got a call from a co-worker who was also coming back from Montreal in the same car. Singh was supposed to work that day. When the store opened at 1 p.m., she went in and told everyone the news.
She said hearing about his death was devastating and telling the staff was hard as well.
Vallis said she remembers when Singh first sought work at the restaurant — and he was determined in his pursuit, coming in multiple times saying he was looking for a job.
She said Singh was working toward his permanent residency and had started filling out the proper paperwork just the week before his death.
He had big plans to save up some money, learn a few more things from the pizza franchise, and then start his own restaurant making pizzas with an Indian twist.
Singh’s death prompted the Papa John’s store to want to help his family and fiancée in India, so it announced a fundraiser online, which garnered plenty of community support.
On Wednesday, the store will donate all proceeds to Singh’s family to help with funeral costs and to cover the cost of getting his body back to India, Vallis said. She said staff members have also committed to donating all of the day’s tips.
She said all employees are coming in to assist and are prepared to stay until they aren’t needed anymore or until close.
“It’s definitely all hands on deck Wednesday,” Vallis said. “I think from the response that I’m getting so far, it’s going to be a busy day.”
Members of the community have offered to do deliveries, fold boxes, wash dishes and help the store in any way possible.
People from outside of Fredericton have also expressed interest in donating. Vallis said it started with an operating partner in Bedford who bought five pizzas and directed the store to send them to a homeless shelter.
When people asked Vallis how they can help without ordering pizzas or if they live elsewhere, she’s suggesting they can do the same.
She said she already has multiple big orders that are expected to be dispersed throughout the city to shelters and other locations on the day of the fundraiser.
“We’re helping some other people in a different way,” she said.
Vallis said she’s expecting a busy day Wednesday. After a similar fundraiser took off 10 years ago in support of the three RCMP members who died in Moncton, she said everyone is prepared for the rush, all in Singh’s name.
With files from Lars Schwarz
This story was originally published in CBC News on Jan. 2, 2024.
Hannah Rudderham Portfolio 