Colleagues,
This notice is published in memory of Michael "Mike" Perry, a long-time Trades & Apprenticeship employee at the Kelowna campus. Mike passed away peacefully on August 1.
Mike began his career at Okanagan College in 2010. He retired from OC in June, 2018. He held a variety of roles within Trades & Apprenticeship including Facilities Service Assistant, TQ Journeyman, Facilities Service Worker, Classroom Assistant and Toolroom Attendant.
"Mike was a person who was dedicated to our students – his passion for all things in automotive, heavy mechanical and RV showed as he continually went out of his way to assist the students on their OC journey," says Chair of Motor Vehicle Trades department Corey Bransfield. "The relationships he made with students was truly magical. Our condolences to his family and friends – he will be missed."
During Mike's time at OC, he made a lot of lasting and rewarding connections with colleagues. His former departments created a message board in memory of Mike. Here are a few of those messages:
- "He touched a lot of people's lives here at OC," says Murray Peissard
- "I really enjoyed working with Mike. I loved his sense of humour. He was always willing to do whatever it took to make sure you had everything in place for your class so things would run smoothly in the shop. He will be sorely missed by his friends and family," says Jamie Bloomfield.
- "Very sorry to hear that Mike passed. In the short time that I worked with Mikey, I found him very easy to work with, always made the students and staff laugh. He will be sorely missed," says Dennis (Cliff) Brownie.
- "He will definitely be missed! How very sad," says Cam McRobb.
- "He was one of the good guys!" says Mike Fitzner.
By Mike's request, there was no service or obituary posted publicly.