Photo: Facebook Taylor Lytvynenko was the kind of guy people wanted to be around. Those who knew him said he was smart, friendly and people gravitated towards the Lumby man. Sadly, Lytvynenko passed away in Clearwater earlier this month at just 23 years old.
The cause of death has not been publicly released. Lytvynenko's step father, Robert Malanik, said the young man had challenges in his life, but he had turned things around, was clean and sober for more than a year and and had job in Clearwater. “He ran away when he was 12 years old.
He was living on the streets of Lumby. He was 14 when I met him and I took legal custody of him,” Malanik said, adding he eventually legally adopted Lytvynenko and helped him through some difficult times. “He had a pretty rough upbringing.
He was taken away by social services. There were seven siblings in total.” Lytvynenko did have issues with drugs, but had been clean for the past 12 months, Malanik said.
“Everybody loved him,” Malanik said. “He was something special. There was something about him that made you want to be his friend.
He had a beautiful smile.” Lytvynenko passed away on July 13, and in a matter of a few days, people came together for fund a mural at the Lumby skateboard park featuring him and his dog, Skyler. Malanik said it was touching how many people came together make the mural happen, a testimony to how well liked he was.
“If you would have met him, his smile, his gaze you would have known he was special,” Malanik said. Jazzlynn Kilgour-Upton helped organize the mural. She said when her friend passed away, she wanted to do something “because him and his friends, we all use to hang around the skate park, so I thought that would be a good place to honour his memory.
” She contacted an artist she knew and within days, the mural was complete. A vigil is planned for the skate park on July 23 at 8 p.m.
in honour of Lytvynenko..
