They left home to do a job that demanded courage, patience and responsibility.

They never made it back.

Correctional officers Nicolae Serban, 57, and Ramandeep Kaur Maan, 25, were killed on August 6 while carrying out their duties in rural Alberta, Canada. The two officers were transporting a female inmate from the Edmonton Institution for Women when their Correctional Service of Canada vehicle was involved in a collision with a box truck. The inmate, 24-year-old Kiara Mooswa, also died.

The crash happened at the intersection of Highways 41 and 13, about 200 kilometers southeast of Edmonton.

For the families of Serban and Maan, however, the tragedy was not simply a headline about a highway collision.

It was the sudden loss of a father, a daughter, a sister, a friend and a colleague.

A Young Woman Who Came to Canada With a Dream
Ramandeep Kaur Maan was only 25.

Originally from Gudhe village in Punjab, India, she came to Canada as an international student with hopes of building a better future. She completed her studies in Manitoba before moving to Alberta and beginning her career with the Correctional Service of Canada.

She had been working as a correctional officer for only about six months.

Her family said she worked hard, cared deeply for those around her and became a source of strength for the people she loved.

At her funeral in Edmonton, her brother Kamalpreet Singh Maan described his sister as a protector and one of the greatest blessings in his life.

“She was planning my future while I was still trying to figure out my life,” he said.

Her father spoke about the enormous role she played in the family.

“I never worried about anything in my life because I always knew my daughter was there for me,” he said.

Those words captured the devastating reality of her loss.

Ramandeep had come to Canada looking for a future.

She had barely begun it.

Nicolae Serban Remembered for His Warmth
Nicolae Serban was 57 and had built years of experience in correctional work.

Colleagues remembered him not simply as an officer, but as someone who brought humor, kindness and energy into the workplace.

At his funeral, attended by roughly 200 people, friends and former colleagues shared memories of a man who loved sports and enjoyed bringing people together.

He was described as funny, respectful and someone who seemed to carry a good spirit wherever he went.

His colleagues were not simply mourning a fellow officer.

They were saying goodbye to a friend.

“No Correctional Officer Leaves for Work Expecting Not to Return Home”
The tragedy sent shock waves through Canada’s correctional and law-enforcement communities.

The Correctional Service of Canada said both officers lost their lives while carrying out their duties and praised their professionalism, dedication and commitment to public safety.

The Union of Canadian Correctional Officers expressed the grief felt throughout the profession with a simple message: no correctional officer leaves for work expecting that day to be their last.

That reality makes their story especially painful.

On August 22 and 23, their colleagues gathered in Edmonton for regimental funerals honoring Serban and Maan. Processions accompanied both officers to their final ceremonies, where friends, family and fellow members of the public-safety community came together to remember them.

For Ramandeep’s family, the ceremony also marked the end of a journey that had begun thousands of miles away, when a young woman left India carrying dreams for a new life.

For Nicolae’s loved ones, it marked the farewell to a man who had spent years serving his community.

Their Service Will Not Be Forgotten
Two lives.

Two very different journeys.

One shared commitment to serving others.

Ramandeep had only recently begun her career. Nicolae had spent years building his.

But their service was not measured simply by how long they wore the uniform.

It was measured by the responsibility they accepted every day when they walked through the doors of work — knowing that their job was to help keep others safe.

On August 6, they left for work as they had done before.

Their families were waiting for them to come home.

They never did.

But the people who knew them are determined that their final journey will not be remembered only as a tragedy.

They will be remembered for the lives they touched, the people they protected and the service they gave.

Two officers. Two stories. One lasting legacy.

And long after the uniforms have been folded away, their names will remain.

Nicolae Serban.
Ramandeep Kaur Maan.

Never forgotten.

Course: NY Post