Joe Millar was remembering his partner Dan Pelletier Saturday, who died on the job.
“There was a little pit and he tripped off the ladder and went into it headfirst,” said Millar about the incident at an Owen Sound job site where he and Pelletier were working on a residential home maybe 20 years ago.
Pelletier’s was one of several names remembered at the annual Steps for Life fundraising walk in Sarnia.
More than 80 people had registered and raised more than $15,000 for Threads of Life that provides supports like workshops and forums for people who’ve had loved ones experience workplace tragedy, said local walk organizer Mark Roehler.
In the days leading up to the walk, Roehler was concerned about low registration relative to last year’s, when about 100 walkers took part in the annual 5k from Canatara Park and raised about $15,000.
But people came through, he said Saturday.
“We’re doing quite well,” he said.
Sharon Freeman, whose step-daughter Amanda died at age 14 Nov. 1, 2000, in a utility vehicle crash during a Take Your Kid to Work Day event at a former John Deere plant in Welland, was also on hand to tell her story.
“So no other family has to go through what our family went through,” she said.
“It’s to be able to share how workplace (safety) affects everybody. It’s everyone’s responsibility.”
It’s also so people know about the supports that are available through Threads of Life, she said.
“We are there to support them with our programs and to let them know that they are not alone in their grievance journey,” she said.
Speeches, a ribbon cutting, and a silent auction were also part of the event, with participants wearing yellow shirts.
Millar, who was there with his Sarnia common-law partner Jenn Jones, said he was surprised there wasn’t a bigger turnout, noting he also expected someone from Pelletier’s union to attend.
“There’s so many members who knew Dan,” he said.
He and Jones were also there to support others whose loved ones have suffered a workplace fatality, life-altering injury, or occupational disease, Jones said.
“It’s a small community,” she said. “We know quite a few people here.”