'I'll continue to remember him every day of my life': Widow of man randomly stabbed on C-Train speaks out

For the first year and a half thatUgonnaNwonyelived in Canada, she woke up in the mornings, opened her bedroom door and sawher husbandsitting in the living room praying.

It's something she misses every day.

Her husband, Nicholas Nwonyewas killed in a random stabbing attack on a Calgary C-Train platform in early June.

A39-year-old man with an extensive criminal history has beencharged with one count of second-degree murder.

Finding a better life

The family moved to Canada from Nigeria with the hopes of making a better life for their three children.Instead, it's leftNwonyea single mother to a five-year-old daughterand two sons, one three years old, the other only four months.

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"He played with them, they are so fond of him. That's why I feel so sad, I don't know how to explain this to them,"Nwonyesaid.

"They understand he's not here. What they don't understand is that they won't see him again."

Nwonyesaid she doesn't regret movingto Calgary, despite the tragedy. She says the family will stay becausethey sacrificed so much to get hereand she wants to carry through on the dream she shared with her husband.

In the meantime, she said she worriesand looks over her shoulder when she leaves the house to see if anyone is following her even though she knows Calgary is safe it's why the family chose it as their new home.

Creating a life together

Nwonye says she was proud of her husband, wholeft his job in Nigeria as ageophysical engineer. When he had a hard time finding work in Calgary during the downturn, hewent back to school to become a nurse so that he could provide for the family.

"It was his passion, he loved to care for people," she said."He has thishumanitarian spirit in him. He always loved to help."

Their marriage just made sense,Nwonye recalled. In Nigeria their families had been good friends and they'd known each other since childhood.

"Falling in love with him, getting to know him was natural," she said.

Even with the time that's passed, Nwonye said she hasn't even begun to process what happened.

"The truth of the matter is I've not even accepted that he's dead. I find it so hard to believe that. Every day I still look at my door, that he will open the door, walk in. I don't even know how to deal with it," she said.

"It's something I'll live with. I'll continue to remember him every day of my life."

Widespread support

Nwonye says her Christian faith is what she relies on the most, allowing her to find hope even in the worst of times.

Other more immediate comfort comes from the Calgary community, including people from the Bow Valley College and the city's Nigerian diaspora.

"We're way far away from home," said Kennedy Thompson, a trustee with the Nigerian Canadian Association of Calgary.

"As a family and as a community, we've learned to support each other. It's inherent in who we are."

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A GoFundMepagewas setup by fellow students from Bow Valley Collegein Nwonye's name and it has raised nearly $89,000.

A wake for Nicholas Nwonyewill be held on Friday at 6 p.m. at Canadian Martyrs Catholic Church.