Eulogy delivered by daughter Susan Perek at Funeral Mass:

My father was a faith-filled man. He was gentle, generous and kind. He led by example and deed. He loved passionately. He was a family-oriented man. Family is everything to him.
He was born in Port Of Spain, Trinidad, West Indies. He grew up among coconut trees in Mayaro. He ran among the surf killing sharks - baby sharks to feed his dog and earn spare change, and shooting squirrels who threatened the coconut trees. As the 2nd son of 11 children, he was destined to become a priest. Not being a scholar he quickly revised that expectation by running away from Mount St. Benedict, a school in Arima. At sixteen his father gave him the choice of work or school. He chose work.
He was a butcher’s apprentice slaughtering pigs in Mayaro. This was a short-lived career. He landed a job as an Office Boy in Port of Spain and learned the importance of penmanship and the value of a personal pen.
When war was declared he joined the Canadian army and fought to liberate Holland. He fought for freedom and those suffering from oppression and injustice. The fight continues today. They were young men only in their teens. He returned to Canada and took advantage of the Government sponsored electrical apprenticeship program. He knew the value of an education and impressed this on his daughters and grandchildren.
On the job he met his future brother-in-law, Uncle Bill. He took him home to meet his future sister-in-law, Auntie Betty, and his bride Laura, after much courting and pursuing. She converted to Catholicism and married him in Toronto. Together they nursed and provided a home for my mother’s parents, and an elderly woman, Grandma Lamont and her paralyzed son, Hugh, at Prince Margaret Hospital. Dad worked days and Mom worked nights at the Hospital. They started to raise three children.
Dad joined a housing Co-Op and they built their own house in Sharon. He helped to build Our Lady of Good Counsel Church & School and St. John’s Church & School. He volunteered to help build St. Elizabeth Seton Church. He helped the Sisters of Good Shepherd with the electrical upkeep at Regina Mundi.
We were impressed with the building he built, the Manulife Centre, the Sheridan Hotel, the Pickering Nuclear reactor, Sunny Brook Hospital, Canada’s Wonderland, the 400 Drive-In to name a few. He built book cases, tables, cabinets, rocking chairs and rocking horses. We all have fine examples of his craftsmanship in our homes; He travelled with Mom, Trinidad across Canada to visit family and friends, California and Alaska. On his own he travelled to Lourdes, Medjugorje, Jerusalem, and to Trinidad many times.

He loved fishing and would take his three daughters up and down the hills of East Gwillimbury looking for the perfect fishing hole! This was so exciting for us!
He built community. He joined other Dads building and flooding the outdoor rink and Our Lady of Good Counsel school. He bought skates and a hockey stick. A man from the tropics didn’t develop this skill. As consolation he watched the Leafs and supported the local hockey pool. He took his Maple Leaf throws to the nursing home. Maybe this year.
He grew vegetables, flowers and trees. He loved to cook. His Trinidad Roast is legendary. He celebrated with fried oysters – a once a year treat. They were hard to find. They were very good. This tradition was passed along to his daughters and their families.
He also developed a passion for photography. Our lives are well and beautifully documented.
He welcomed travellers – his sisters and brothers and their families. He supported many nephews and nieces, many on their quest to start a new life through education and immigration. He delighted in showing the sights and introducing them to his life in Canada. Many stayed, settled, married and raised families of their own.
His great sorrow was losing his wife Laura to congestive heart failure. He tenderly and lovingly cared for her during the last years of her life. He welcomed many friends old and new to their home as Mom was bedridden.
He was by her side, held her hand, put a hymn on the stereo and breathed her last breath. Then he travelled a while before settling down to an empty house and memories. He took up carpentry again. A very nice widow down the road had woodworking plans. This was just what he needed. God had plans for him.
To the delight of his family, Dad married Marie. Their marriage was short. It seemed unfair that Dad should spend more than half this ill. But that is what God placed in front of them. And loving each other they handled the progression of Parkinson’s with courage and prayer. He had lost his hearing and his memory. He had lost his mobility and eating became difficult. He never lost his ability to love. Right up to the very last day, he held Marie’s hand and kissed her. He became more affectionate to his daughters. We held his hand and kissed him.
He never lost his faith. His son-in-law, Mario, brought him communion every Sunday at home and at the nursing home. He went to the Mass at the home and was anointed. He responded to his Lord and recognized him in the Eucharist host. The Lord let him die peacefully in his sleep.

My father built things. He helped build peace by fighting when it became necessary. He built a house, a family, a community, churches and schools. He built a faith in God. He built a faith in God.
This is just a summary. Dad we will continue your legacy. Watch over us still. We miss you. Dad, we love you.

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