An estimated $40,000 worth of camera equipment was among the prized items taken from a Calgary man’s home Wednesday.
It was a huge blow for Brian Cole, who poured his heart into his passion for photography.
The intruder left signs in Cole’s Mayland Heights home: broken window bars and other damage.
“Goods are good, but there are things in our world that we find important: memories,” Cole said.
About five years ago, Cole lost his wife of 22 years to breast cancer.
“When she passed, we found her eulogy and it said, ‘Do not put off until tomorrow what you can do today.’ And photography was something I loved.”
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Based on surveillance video that Cole has since turned over to police, it appears the thief was in his home for about five hours.
Cole found several things when he arrived home later that day, including his equipment and mementos: medals and memorabilia from his late father’s military service, his late wife’s jewelry, and both of their wedding rings.
“It’s hard to lose my wife’s stuff, my dad’s stuff and some hard drives that have all the scanned pictures of everyone. It’s tough.”
The police are investigating the burglary.
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Cole said the burglar also stole Christmas presents and food from his pantry, refrigerator and freezer, including a holiday ham.
For now, Cole’s photography business, Cole Fired Photography, is on hold.
On Thursday, he was still taking stock of everything that had been taken and processing how to deal with this latest blow.
“I’ll get back to it. It was just put on hiatus for a little bit,” Cole said. “I will not let some Grinch dampen the spirit of bringing happiness to others.”
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