‘I miss you more than you know’ : Sudbury son – by Carol Mulligan (Sudbury Star – April 29, 2014)

The Sudbury Star is the City of Greater Sudbury’s daily newspaper.

The grown son of a man killed with three others at Inco’s Levack Mine on April 14, 1987, received a standing ovation and the respect of 400 people for his courage in baring his emotions on the anniversary of his father’s death.

Luc St. Amour was 13 and his brother, Richard, was 11 when their father, Germain “Butch” St. Amour, died on the job along with Rene Bedard, Wilbrod Gauvin and Donald Knight.

Luc, now 40 and a father himself, wrote a letter to his father April 13 this year, in which he poured out his heart. A relative associated with United Steelworkers read the letter online and asked Luc to read it at this year’s Day of Mourning service, his mother, Suzanne Stead, said last week.

“I sit here as half boy, half man. I think of how my last words to you were out of anger,” read St. Amour. “I wish I could have that moment back. I know you loved me. I wonder if your last thoughts were of mom, Richard and I.

“I sit here thinking … as a little boy, how I missed out on lessons you wanted to teach me. I sit here as a man still missing you, trying to remember your voice, your smell, your laugh, but I can’t.

“I wonder what our conversations would be like. I often think would you be proud of me? Proud of my accomplishments? Proud of dusting myself off and getting up after my failures?

“What advice would you have for me? Of course, I want you to be alive, but it has shaped who I am. I’m happy with who I am.”

St. Amour said he sees a lot of his father in his young son and understands now how much his own father loved him.

“I wish I could spend an hour, a day, a week, hell even the last 27 years with you, but we know that’s not possible,” said St. Amour. “I love you, Dad, and I miss you more than you know.”

Briana Fram, sister of Jordan Fram, who was killed along with Jason Chenier at Vale’s Stobie Mine on June 8, 2011, said grace before the meal was served.

Rick Bertrand, president of United Steelworkers Local 6500, addressed the crowd, saying unfortunately he was adding the name of another worker killed on the job in the last year.

For the rest of this article, click here: http://www.thesudburystar.com/2014/04/29/i-miss-you-more–than-you-know–sudbury-son