A high-profile Penticton man whose life tragically ended on the weekend is a stark reminder of the need for dialogue on mental illness, according to organizers of an upcoming memorial event.

Amanda Lysohirka and her husband, Chad, are organizing the Mental Health Burger and Ball for Jeremy, Mare and Thomas, after Jeremy McGoran, a former radio personality and mental health awareness advocate, was found dead on Friday after going missing earlier that day.

鈥淎s most people know Jeremy and Mare, they鈥檝e always been very supportive and pushing the mental health awareness,鈥� Amanda said, noting that McGoran played on her and Chad鈥檚 slopitch baseball team.

鈥淲e talked with him a bit about mental health, and how it affected me and how we鈥檝e kind of had a common ground.鈥�

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Over the years McGoran had been an advocate to bring awareness to mental health issues through the local Ride Don鈥檛 Hide event, which is scheduled for June 25 in Penticton. In April, McGoran told the Penticton Western News the more he learned about mental illness the more he wanted to share his own story to show others you don鈥檛 have to suffer in silence and to help reduce the stigma associated with it.

While Amanda had that common ground with McGoran, he and Chad had their own shared interests: sports.

鈥淗e understood a lot of references, especially from 1990s baseball, that I was probably the only person possibly in Penticton, even British Columbia that would understand what he was saying,鈥� Chad said.

鈥淓very chance we had to talk or hang out or laugh in the dug out, we would. But he was full of obscure references, I think I might have been the only one in the league, for sure, that knew what he was talking about.鈥�

At a Monday evening slopitch game, the team鈥檚 first since McGoran passed, those two interests intersected, with Amanda suggesting the team wear green ribbons, the symbol for mental health awareness. That idea, Amanda said, took off with the team, who all wore the green ribbons through the game.

From there, the team wanted to do more to commemorate McGoran and the issue of mental health awareness.

鈥淚 thought, well, maybe it鈥檚 a good time to bring up doing some sort of fundraiser. And, so, I brought it up, and sure enough, again, it just hit off,鈥� she said.

鈥淓veryone started throwing ideas, you know, let鈥檚 do burgers, and let鈥檚 see what we can do for donations, and we鈥檒l play our game, and everyone can watch. Everyone is willing to help in every way possible.鈥�

Since conception, Amanda says the idea has blown up, and continued to expand, with more and more people looking to get involved.

鈥淲e started last night at about 9 p.m., and it has just taken off. The one thing that we鈥檙e still working on is making sure we have food for everyone,鈥� she said. 鈥淢y husband has come up with this wicked idea for doing a hockey card game, and Jeremy was just a huge fan of hockey cards.鈥�

This year was McGoran鈥檚 first playing with the team, and Amanda said he had been a strong player, who helped keep the team feeling positive.

鈥淗e was just an all-star out in the field, he was able to catch everything, he鈥檇 rip his pants every chance he鈥檇 get sliding into bases,鈥� she said. 鈥淗e was always a smiling, happy guy. Always kept the team spirit up.鈥�

Chad developed a friendship with McGoran through the slopitch team, and the two bonded over obscure sports trivia from decades ago.

Chad said he鈥檇 been at McGoran鈥檚 house only two days prior to his death, noting that McGoran had been telling him stories 鈥� something he was particularly good at.

鈥淚t was very hard to see how fast 48 hours can go. It was terrible. It was horrible, it was not fun. He was quite easy to get a hold of on Facebook, and then suddenly he just kind of stopped going online, and that鈥檚 when you kind of got the vibe that something wasn鈥檛 right,鈥� he said.

鈥淲e had plans to watch the hockey game together the following day, and it was a little bit unsettling watching the game at home versus at his house, or with his family. It was certainly a different feeling.鈥�

South Okanagan Similkameen Mental Wellness Society president Sharon Evans said some key questions often come up after a suicide.

鈥淲hat did I miss, what could I have done differently, why didn鈥檛 we understand that this person was at that point?鈥� Evans said. 鈥淪ometimes they reach the point where they don鈥檛 even have the words left to tell you. Or they鈥檝e made up their mind, and they鈥檙e just waiting for you not to be there.鈥�

For Evans, the key point, now, is to remind people who suffer from mental illness, and those with family members with mental illness, is that help is available.

鈥淲hat people need, family members need to have education and support so that they can help the person, and more importantly help themselves to understand what the person is experiencing,鈥� Evans said, noting that the Mental Wellness Society has programming for that.

Evans also points to programming in place for peer support, which includes one-on-one work and peer groups, for those with experience dealing with mental illness to help others.

But foremost, Evans says those who suffer from mental illness need to go to their family doctor.

鈥淎nd don鈥檛 believe that it鈥檚 going to go away,鈥� Evans said. 鈥淲e鈥檙e in the process of reminding all the doctors of our existence and that we鈥檙e available to the best of our collective abilities to reach out to people. And nobody gets turned down.鈥�

A memorial service will take place for the public at the Penticton Trade and Convention Centre before the fundraiser on June 19. The memorial service starts at 2 p.m. The Mental Health Burger and Ball game will start at 8 p.m., also on June 19, at Lion鈥檚 Park, with barbecued burgers and refreshments to be served by donation starting at 6 p.m.

Proceeds from the event will be going toward McGoran鈥檚 wife, Mare, and their six-year-old son, Thomas.