Perry's daughter was the 'light of his life'

Nearly 50 members of Stephen Perry's family will be in Sudbury for the fallen Vale worker's funeral, Feb. 3.

The 47-year-old development miner died early Sunday afternoon after rock came loose from the face of a development drift at the 4,215-foot level of the Coleman Mine in Levack. Perry was working alone in the drift, using a piece of equipment called an “Anfo loader” to load explosives into the face of the rock.

He was found and brought to the surface, where he was pronounced dead by medical authorities.

Vale isn't sure what caused rock to become displaced, but has said the explosives with which Perry was working were not a factor in the accident.

Perry leaves behind a 19-year-old daughter, who lives in Chelmsford, as well as a very close extended family that includes 13 siblings.

His eldest sister, Bernice Pieda of Corner Brook, Newfoundland, said Perry's daughter meant the world to him.

“She was the light of his life,” Pieda said tearfully, Tuesday.

She described her brother as a soft-spoken man who was always there for his friends and family. A sports fan like his eight brothers, Perry, again like his brothers, excelled at hockey.

“They all lived for hockey,” Pieda said. “They'd walk four kilometres at five in the morning for practice if they couldn't get a ride.”

Perry left the island after high school and joined his brother Tom in Manitouwadge, where he got his start in the industry mining gold. He joined Vale 16 years ago.

Although the family usually gathers every three to five years for a reunion, Pieda said now family from across the country will be gathering in Sudbury for her brother's funeral.

“We're there for every occasion,” she said. “Happy or sad, that's just the kind of family we are.”

A memorial mass for Stephen Perry will be held at Christ the King Church at 10 a.m. on Feb. 3. Friends may gather after 9:45 a.m. at the church. There will be no public visitation.

In lieu of flowers, the family has asked that donations be made to the Sudbury Food Bank, arrangements for which have been entrusted to Lougheed Funeral Homes.

Posted by Arron Pickard