Roasting Jerry
On Saturday, May 17th, some of Jerry LaFreniere's many friends
packed the Holy Cross Parish Hall to roast one of Beaver Island's
most well-liked sons. The decorations reflected Jerry's years
as the engineer for the Beaver Island Boat Company and his long
relationship with the ferry Beaver Islander, which he nursed along
for thousands of miles. The walls were decked with life rings
and anchors, and paper sea gulls flew above the stage, looking
for an appropriate place to leave their bread crumbs. Tables held
"sick bags" filled with popcorn. Interspersed were photos,
in all of which he was beaming his signal-light smile, and the
wonderful caricatures drawn by Island artist Kelly Duhamel depicting
the events of Jerry's life.
 Each
attendee received a scroll with the evening events, part of which
read:
“Cead Mile Failté - One hundred thousand welcomes.
“Tonight as we journey through a sea of memories - some stiff
waters, many high tides - be prepared to experience rolling waves
of laughter and whitecaps of delight.”
The cruise directors for the evening were Jayne Bailey and Lisa
Gillespie, who kept things moving – although Jerry's life
provided plenty of material to work with, as did the many speakers.
A wonderful job was done by all.
Thanks, Jerry, for being such a great sport!
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