Late crossing guard Peter Clark remembered as steady and familiar presence in Barrhaven community

1 hour ago 9

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She invited the community to look at the shadow box that stood next to her as she spoke. She said it showed “all the other sides” of her husband.

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A tribute of photographs, a handheld stop sign and flowers was set out on a table

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“He loved his family, friends, animals, nature, going for long walks, sports, the Senators, Charge … swimming … and going to the movies … where he would always root for the underdog and empathize with the monsters.”

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Like many who showed up at the vigil Sunday afternoon, Kennedy-Boisvert didn’t know Peter Clark personally. Yet, the vigil became a deeply personal one. That was because she knew the job.

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Just like Clark, Kennedy-Boisvert is in the business of keeping others safe and smiling.

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“It was just … shocking,” she told the Ottawa Citizen after the vigil, adding that the Cedarview-Kennevale intersection, where Peter Clark had worked, was known to the crossing guard community to be a “quiet” one. “It didn’t need to happen.”

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A woman embraces a young boy during an emotional vigil

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Kennedy-Boisvert said she was also shocked to find out that Peter was tragically killed on School Crossing Guard Appreciation Day in Ontario, which fell on March 23 – a day after students returned from March break.

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“We know the job, we know there’s risks,” said Kennedy-Boisvert, who has worked as a crossing guard for the last five years.

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She urged drivers to “just slow down and pay attention” on the road.

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“We’re just out there for everyone’s safety,” she said. “That’s all.”

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Community members gathered for an emotional vigil for Barrhaven crossing guard Peter Clark

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Among those who spoke at the vigil was Rabbi Menachem Mendel Blum, the director and spiritual leader of the Ottawa Torah Centre Chabad in Barrhaven, a synagogue and Jewish educational centre right around the corner from where Peter would stand day in and day out “to offer a smile, to offer care to every child, to every family.”

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Peter offered a quiet moment of care to the neighbourhood that so many had come to rely on before he was killed, Blum said. He made the neighbourhood “a little more human, a little more connected and a little more safe,” and seeing Peter wasn’t occasional. “It was daily … a familiar (and) steady presence.

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“And now he is gone,” he said. “Taken from us in a way that feels sudden, painful and deeply unfair.

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Amanda Clark, widow of Barrhaven crossing guard Peter Clark, was surrounded by members of the community during an emotional vigil

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“Moments like these shake us and leave us with questions we cannot answer. We search for meaning and understanding. But the truth is we don’t always understand.”

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Jon Allsopp, a volunteer with the St. John Ambulance and its therapy dog program, attended the vigil with is dog Amber. The therapy dog was there to ease the heaviness for people feeling the crushing weight of Peter’s loss.

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“It’s important to come as a community and help support folks who have had some terrible loss,” he said. “One thing Amber can do as a therapy dog is help emotionally through tough times.

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“They’re having a tough time and Amber’s able to bring a smile to their face.”

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Mary Honeywell Elementary School vice-principal Lisa Baker gave Amanda Clark, widow of Barrhaven crossing guard Peter Clark, a hug

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Philip Burton, who has been retired for 15 years after working in the government and is now an Orléans crossing guard, said, “The connection from one curb side to the next is a share of so many stories. And (kids) say things that they don’t even have the time to share with their own family of what happened at school.”

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Burton came to Sunday’s vigil “to witness the emotion” and to let Peter Clark’s family know that they are not alone in their grief.

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Amanda Clark, widow of Barrhaven crossing guard Peter Clark, spoke about her late husband

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Vigil-goers signed notes at a table to honour Peter Clark and pay their respects.

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An Ottawa Police Service officer with the community police officers unit signs a note during an emotional vigil

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Kelly Banks, director of programs with the Ottawa Safety Council, spoke at the vigil Sunday afternoon.

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