2023-12-13
Former LighthouseNOW editor dies
BRIDGEWATER - Charles Mandel, who led LighthouseNOW's editorial team for several years in the late 2010s, died at his Lunenburg County home on Nov. 27.
A published obituary didn't indicate how the 64-year-old died but, in his personal dispatches posted on an online newsletter platform, he wrote about battling osteosarcoma, a form of bone cancer.
Mandel grew up in Alberta and was a journalist for over 25 years, working for the Edmonton Journal, Calgary Herald, the National Observer and Canwest News Service, for example. His freelance contributions appeared in Canadian Business, Maclean's, The Globe and Mail and National Post, among others. More recently, he was writing for Canadian online technology portal, Betakit.
Between 2017 and 2020, he was the editor of LighthouseNOW.
"Charles was a person of strong convictions and a dedicated journalist and editor who was an excellent writer," said former editor, Gayle Wilson, who worked under his tutelage and later succeed him in the position. "His admirable determination and craftsmanship will be missed."
Another former LighthouseNOW reporter, Brittany Wentzell, who now works for CBC Nova Scotia, remembers Mandel's intensity and passion for journalism.
"He never backed down from a story if he knew it was important to the community and he encouraged his reporters to follow suit," she said. "Charles pushed his reporters to do better, to get out of their comfort zones and chase difficult but important stories."
Mandel was also remembered for his active lifestyle. "He mountain-biked and ran, winning races at the master level, and for some years wrote a well-loved Substack (online newsletter platform) called subthreerunning," reads the published obituary. "Many of his friends were racing buddies, where he built camaraderie through good humour, friendly competition, and raising a beer after a long run."
Over the last few years, he and his partner, Steph Moore, enjoyed off-grid living, a lifestyle he chronicled about in his Substack newsletter titled "Tales from Beyond the Grid" where he shared his life and thoughts. He loved chopping wood for winter and walking his dogs in the woods.
In February, he used his Substack to reveal his cancer battle, a diagnosis he received the previous summer. A surgeon told him in November 2022 the cancer had spread and was incurable, he wrote.
"I'm coming to believe that the reason we're here is to do the best we can, be as kind as we can, and leave the world a better place," Mandel wrote in his entry, called "The Long Trail."
"I also have come to believe that in our rush towards blind ambition, slowing down and savouring every moment of our lives is one of the best things we can do."
In his final entry, on Oct. 29, titled "When things take a left turn," he vowed to fight on.
"I have good doctors who help direct me to the best options available. I believe that I still have one year, two years, five, 10 left. When I begin to slide I hold that like a shiny promise in the front of my mind. I am not going anywhere. Trees rustle in the wind. The bird sings. The sun shines. And the brook runs. And it runs. And runs."
Mandel is survived by Moore, his stepmother, two sisters and two sons. As of this writing, a date for a celebration of his life hadn't been scheduled. Donations in his memory can be made to any food bank.
