Thank you, Mr. Speaker. Today we in the North mourn the loss of a long-time friend. Bishop John R. Sperry passed away in Hay River on Saturday, February 11th, at the age of 87.
Bishop Sperry, known to his friends as Jack, was born in eastern England in 1924. He joined the British Royal Navy in 1943 and served until 1946 on the destroyers and escorts, doing convoy duty.
After completing his tour of duty, he immigrated to Canada in 1950, serving parishes in Kugluktuk, then known as Coppermine, and Fort Smith. He served as the diocese bishop of the Arctic for the Anglican Church from 1973 to 1990 and is the author of “Igloo Dwellers Were My Church,” a memoir of his time in the North.
Bishop Sperry worked throughout the Northwest Territories, Nunavut and northern Quebec. He travelled in the North, visiting communities along the way, telling his stories of the way things used to be, passing on his knowledge and experience wherever he went. He lived his life as a true Northerner, often travelling by dogsled.
He had an amazing respect for the culture of the Inuit people. He learned several northern languages and translated the Bible, prayer books and hymns into the Inuktitut dialect, which was instrumental in teaching the Anglican faith to the people of the Western Arctic.
After retirement Bishop Sperry worked with health and volunteer organizations, and was instrumental in supporting fellow veterans in the Northwest Territories. He was chaplain of the Rangers division of the Joint Task Force North. He regularly visited patients at Stanton Territorial Hospital as well as veterans and elders living at home or in long-term care facilities in Yellowknife.
In July 2002 Bishop Sperry was named Companion to the Order of Canada, recognizing his outstanding lifetime achievement and service to the North.
Bishop Sperry passed away peacefully with his loving family close by: his son John Sperry, his daughter Angela Friesen, and their families in Hay River, where he lived for the last several years. Bishop Sperry will be missed for his spiritual leadership, his stories, his sense of humour, and his knowledge and wisdom, but mostly and especially for the love he shared with so many people along the path that he took while spreading the word of God. The many people he taught and helped and the blessings he bestowed on all those he met will long be remembered.
He was dedicated to the people of Canada’s North for over 50 years. We thank him for this. I extend my sincere condolences to Bishop Sperry’s family and friends today. Our loss is heaven’s gain.
Thank you, Mrs. Groenewegen. The honourable Member for Range Lake, Mr. Dolynny.
