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November 9, 2024, will mark the 25th anniversary of the sudden and tragic death of young and much loved Brent Wade. Friends and family will gather to honor his amazing life and memory, first at his mother’s home in Sheguiandah in the afternoon, then later at dinner.

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While Joanne Wade lived with the memory of her beloved son’s untimely death, she also helped others through the tragedies that took her own life. In 2003, Joanne became involved with Threads of Life, a national charity that supports families affected by workplace tragedies, be it death, life-changing injury or occupational disease.

“It was this organization that brought life back to life for me,” Joanne recalled.

The founder of Threads of Life is Shirley Hickman from London, Ont. When her son was killed at work, she saw an active need for this type of support.

A Memorial Life Quilt was created with 100 quilt blocks to honor 100 young adults between the ages of 13 and 23 killed on the job. The quilt traveled across Canada.

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Joanne became a public speaker with other Threads of Life members who spoke across Canada to raise awareness about the importance of workplace safety and coming home safe.

“A number of our members are volunteer family guides, providing one-to-one support,” Joanne said. “When there’s a workplace tragedy, the Canadian Ministry of Labor sends them to us,” she said.

“The Steps for Life Walk is our only fundraising event, held every year in May. We walked in 30 cities across Canada to remember loved ones affected by workplace tragedies. We now support 3,000 families across Canada.

“When you see a bug or malfunctioning equipment, report it. Don’t look away, Joanne said. “You could save a life.

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“Brent had a wonderful smile that his friends called ‘a thousand watt smile.’ When Brent was 10, he and his cousins ​​helped Uncle Wayne build a log cabin at Maple Point. They cut down trees, stripped the bark and set the logs in position. The log cabin remains to this day.

“He loved being outdoors. He grew up close with his cousins ​​Mark and Jason, the three born within five months. The boys loved three wheeling and drove many trails at our hunting camp in Kagawong at Maple Point,” said Joanne. “He enjoyed boating, water skiing and life at Poppa’s hunting camp.”

Joanne smiled as she told me this. “I have always kissed and tucked my children to bed every night. One night, Brent looked up at me and said “Mom, I love you so much. When you die, I’ll stuff you and put you at the foot of my bed!

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“Brent didn’t like to sit around, watch TV or the computer. He worked part-time after school and on weekends in local restaurants,” Joanne said. “He was so mechanically inclined he could build snowmobiles with his eyes closed. He was always struggling with cars and trucks. He felt the only snowmobile worth owning was a Polaris and the only truck was a GMC truck.”

“Brent lived life to the fullest, like there was no tomorrow, and for him, on November 9, 1999, there would be no tomorrow. He went to work and never came home.”

Joanne paused.

Brent had completed two years of heavy diesel equipment study at Sault College in Sault Ste. Marie. He lived in Guelph and worked in Acton for a construction company.

“On November 9, Brent was driving a fully loaded dump truck on a road in Acton. He would be getting ready to get more power. It was a bright and sunny morning. We know that there was brush to his right, which obscured his vision as he approached the railroad crossing. There were no guardrails for the rail gates in place to deter any driver or vehicle. Brent didn’t see or hear the train coming and when he crossed the tracks, the truck and the train collided, killing Brent instantly. The derailment also injured some passengers.

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“My excruciating pain was so intense. Everyone loved Brent. I didn’t think I would be able to survive after that,” she said. “I lost my purpose in life, feeling like I would never know happiness or joy again. To this day, I still question that.”

Gratefully, Joanne laughed, recalling, “Oh, Bonnie, when I was working at Manitoulin Centennial Manor, she was 20 years old and had been living out west for six months. One afternoon while I was giving medication to the residents, I turned around and saw Brent standing in the doorway with his thousand watt smile. Instantly, tears were streaming down my face. I was so happy to see him.”

His funeral and visitation were held at the Anglican Church in Little Current. So many people, from Sault St. Marie, Guelph and the island, attended to pay their respects at the celebration of his life. I was there until midnight. Friends placed special items to be with him in the casket; letters, jewelry, tools, and a small part of a piston from his friend’s new snowmobile because they had done so many snowmobile trips together.

The Sheppard brothers made a banner to place over his casket that read “You will walk every mile with us.”

“With Brent’s death, I’ve been working on putting gate weapons at this checkpoint. There have been close calls on this site. It took three more deaths to bring about the change. Now the crossing bars are in place along with four crosses for the boys.”

Our Bonnie has been in the window seat for 32 years. Please find it at [email protected].

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