A group of truckers paid their respects Saturday for a fellow operator who lost his battle with cancer.
Harold Reimer, who was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer on his 58th birthday at the end of May, is being remembered as a kind-hearted, easy-going man who will be missed.
A procession of trucks made their way from Deacon’s Corner at noon, east on the Transcanada Hwy. to Steinbach. They then gathered at the old Safeway parking lot and took a shuttle over to the church for the funeral service.
Ron Smith, owner of a Winnipeg trucking company, told 680 CJOB Friday he worked with Harold for over 20 years and described him as “a champion of a man.”
Smith said Reimer grew up on a farm and loved being in his truck.
“He was a mentor to a lot of young guys that came into the industry,” Smith said. “He’s referred to as an uncle or ‘my second dad’ by some guys”.
Smith said Reimer was cremated in a family service earlier. His wife Cheryl will carry his urn in the lead vehicle. More than 20 trucks joined the convoy.
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“There was a lot of interest… it gives people the opportunity to be more a part of the funeral, when often you are unfortunately a spectator in the crowd. It gives people a chance to be more involved and show their appreciation for who Harold was.”