Ontario man killed fighting in Ukraine remembered as loving son and volunteer firefighter

An Ontario man remembered for his desire to help others was killed fighting for Ukraine last month. 

Malick Joseph, 29, from Dunnville, Ont., joined the Ukrainian military in January, his mother Sherry Bousfield told CBC Hamilton.

He’d enlisted because he wanted to help Ukrainians fight for their freedom, she said. 

“I didn’t want him to go, of course,” Bousefield said. “But I was also proud he wanted to help.” 

Joseph died in the village of Staromaiorske on June 10 — the day the Russian military reportedly seized control. 

Two days later, Bousefield, who lives in the Niagara region, sent Joseph a message checking in. She never got a reply.

And when a police officer knocked on her door a few hours later and asked her to sit down, she knew her son was gone.

“It was extremely hard,” said Bousefield. 

Volunteered as a firefighter

She described Joseph as adventurous, the life of the party and a deep thinker, who left behind dozens of notebooks full of his writing about all the things he was learning. 

“He was really loving,” she said. “He cared about people and liked to see them happy.” 

As a teenager, he’d served in the Royal Canadian Air Cadets and had dreams of joining the Canadian Armed Forces, she said. Joseph had tried to enlist but was disqualified because of a back condition.

He found fulfilment in other ways: sailing, scuba diving and working toward his pilot licence, his mother said. He also served as a volunteer firefighter with the Haldimand County Fire Department’s Station 5. 

“His dedication and professionalism will be missed by all, especially his brothers and sisters at Station 5,” said fire chief Jason Gallagher in an email. 

Joseph had friends with family in Ukraine, and after months of research and being accepted into their military, he jumped at the opportunity to help the country fight Russia, said Bousefield. 

A veteran’s funeral

At least 31,000 Ukrainian soldiers have been killed since Russia invaded in early 2022.  Around 50,000 Russian soldiers have also been killed along the 1000-km front, according to an estimate from the BBC.

Thirteen Canadians have died fighting in Ukraine, said Global Affairs Canada. The federal government is aware of Joseph’s death and is working with local authorities. 

Despite the danger in the battlefield, Joseph was “right in his element,” said Bousefield. 

He spent a long time in Kiev before being deployed to several villages, she said. He was learning how to fire rockets and use drones, and became friends with soldiers from different countries. He also stayed in regular contact with his family back home. 

Now they’re left missing “his smile and laugh, and him,” Bousefield said. 

A veterans’ funeral was held for Joseph last week at the Royal Canadian Legion in Dunnville. He was honoured for his time in the Air Cadets and as a volunteer firefighter, as well as his service in Ukraine.

“It was overwhelming,” Bousefield said. “He touched so many people in one way or another.”