TIGNISH, P.E.I. - Over 600 friends, family and Tignish community members attended the funeral of Glen DesRoches, one of the two men who died after a fishing boat capsized off the coast of North Cape on Sept. 18.
DesRoches was remembered for his kindness, his hospitality and his faith. Members of the Knights of Columbus, of which DesRoches was an active member, turned out in large numbers. The catholic mass was held at St. Simon and St. Jude church, and lead by Father Albin Arsenault, a close personal friend of DesRoches.
The tragic loss of DesRoches and his co-worker Moe Getson has shaken the tight-knit community of Tignish. After a massive search involving the Canadian Coast Guard and hundreds of community volunteers, the bodies of both men have since been recovered.
Another crew member, 22-year old Tanner Gaudet, was able to swim to shore.
“We all know what happened this past horrible Tuesday evening, Sept. 18,” Arsenault said during the funeral on Thursday.
“From the moment we all heard of the tragedy, our caring community gathered together whether at North Cape or in our parish church.”
Arsenault at times spoke directly to the wife of Glen DesRoches, Lorna. He described an evening social event he attended at the home of the couple in 2006, which involved a meal of surf and turf, as he celebrated the 25th anniversary of being in the priesthood as the “happiest day of my life.”
“I owe a huge debt of gratitude to God for the warmth and charming personality of Glen, who has profoundly shaped and enriched our lives,” Arsenault said.
The St. Simon and St. Jude church has served as a gathering place for the community in the days since the Sept. 18 accident. Vigils were held regularly for the families.
The community is beginning to return to some degree of normalcy after the Sept. 18 tragedy.
At Shirley’s Café, less than a block from St. Simon and St. Jude, patrons chit-chatted amidst a moderate dinner rush shortly after the funeral.
Myra Shea, seated at a back table, said people have tried to support the DesRoches and Getson families as best they can.
“The community’s good like that,” Shea said.
Shea herself owns a lobster fishing boat, which she inherited from her husband after he passed away 18 years ago. She works regularly with two other crew members and says she avoids going out on stormy days.
But, she says, the Sept. 18 accident won’t stop her from returning to the water.
“It doesn’t bother me one bit to be back out on the boat,” Shea said.
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