Friends and family gathered at a North York funeral home on Monday to pay tribute to a Toronto teen who drowned on a class trip to Algonquin Park earlier this month.
Dozens of people attended the funeral for 15-year-old C.W. Jeffreys Collegiate Institute student Jeremiah Perry at Revival Time Tabernacle, including Ontario Education Minister Mitzie Hunter.
Officials say they believe Perry was swimming with classmates in Big Trout Lake on the evening of July 4 when he went under the water and didn’t resurface.
His body was found by search and rescue crews the following day.
Perry's older brother Marion was also on the trip.
"We are going to be strong for Marion because Marion has lost his walking partner to school," Perry's aunt Jocelyn Anderson said during a eulogy Monday.
"I’m going to ask every one of you that when you see Marion walking that walk by himself, you need to help him, support him, hold his hand."
Several people at the service were wearing white T-shirts with Perry’s photo on the back, including the teen's siblings.
Monday Gala, the principal of C.W. Jeffreys Collegiate Institute, also spoke at the funeral service and described how hard Perry worked to succeed in school.
"Jeremiah probably used every computer in the office," he said. "I saw him in the library so that he could earn his credits."
Perry’s death is currently under investigation by Ontario Provincial Police. Perry’s family previously said the teen could not swim.
Family members also said Perry was not wearing a life jacket when he went swimming in Big Trout Lake.
The Toronto District School Board maintains that swim tests were conducted prior to the trip to Algonquin Park and anyone who didn’t pass the test was not allowed to take part. The school board also said students on the trip were adequately supervised.
