Perimeter Security member passes on

It was Christmas eve, and all the Kanesatake Perimeter Security (KPS) officers were given a well-deserved break for the holiday - except Kane Montour, their coordinator, who was taking calls and hoping for a quiet night.

But that didn’t happen. After he received a call about a driver who hit a telephone pole and knocked down power lines, he was called to intervene in a second emergency nearby. He didn’t want to bother the team, but he needed them, so he sent a message to the group chat.

The first person to respond was Jeffrey Reed Simon.

“I’ll never forget that. Jeff (saying), ‘we’re on our way, boss, we’re coming.’ It was like the cavalry had arrived,” said Montour. The team responded to three incidents that night, working in under -20 C weather.

“I can still hear Jeff’s voice just talking, ‘One down, two to go,’ ‘Two down, one to go,’ ‘All right, boss, all three, grand slam, we’re out of here,’” said Montour. “We went back to HQ, and I just looked at them all and said, ‘I want to really thank you guys for showing up.’ Jeff says, ‘Anytime, you know what, I’m on call tonight, all night, even if something happens, call me, I’m there.’”

On January 24, Simon passed on following a heart attack at the age of 46. He is remembered by his many talents, his music, for his good heart, humour, acts of service for his family and friends, and his love.

“Even when he would be at work, he would constantly text me. It was nothing but ‘I love you,’ every day, every minute, every hour. ‘I love you. I love you, I love you,’” said Annette Simon, Jeffrey’s wife. “He was an amazing man.”

Jeffrey was known as a talented musician, songwriter, and guitarist.

“He was completely self-taught, which is a real gift,” said Jeffrey’s friend Lance Delisle.

“Jeff had soul,” said Delisle. “That’s the thing I’ll miss most about playing with Jeff, is he had a natural gift.”

Despite his talent, he never wanted to perform further away because of his desire to remain rooted in Kanesatake, said his cousin Patricia Meilleur.

“He loved his community immeasurably, and he loved the family,” said Meilleur.

It was his care for the community that sparked Jeffrey to join the KPS just under eight months ago. He wanted to be a positive force in the community, said Montour.

“‘This is where I hunt fish, I play here, my family is here, and all my friends are here. And I can just no longer sit back and do nothing,’” Montour recalled Jeffrey telling him when he applied to join the KPS. “Jeff’s answer was just what I was looking for. And I remember thinking he was going to be a really good asset to the community, to the team.

“I was right.”

Although his tenure at the KPS was short, Jeffrey made a significant difference to the team and their work in the community.

“He really made it feel like it was like a brotherhood. Everybody was just happy to have him on the team,” said Montour. “The community was so lucky to have him.”

The KPS work also meant a lot to Jeffrey, said his older brother, Clifford Simon, who lives in the US.

“I’ve seen Jeffrey at his worst, and I’ve seen him at the top of the mountain,” said Clifford. Jeffrey would send him videos of him doing surveillance and talk a lot with pride about his work at the KPS.

“He was on top of the mountain. He was having a good time. I’d never seen him so happy,” said Clifford.

He will never forget building a headstone for their father together with their other brother, Davy Simon, after he passed away in 2002. The three couldn’t afford to buy a headstone, so they decided to build it together themselves over a hot summer.

“We were literally baking making the stone, sweat pouring out of our eyeballs,” said Clifford. “We were very proud of each other for accomplishing that. That was an awesome accomplishment for three brothers to do.”

Jeffrey loved pizza and poutine, said Annette. He loved fishing and having her take photos of the fish he caught.

And he loved having a good time. His birthdays were always celebrated in grand style, with him notifying family and friends weeks in advance of the big day.

Sterling Mallette, radio host at Reviving Kanehsatà:ke Radio (RKR) 101.7 FM, became close friends with Jeffrey after attending his birthday party.

“I never lost a friend before. I’ve only lost family members. Losing a friend, it feels different,” said Mallette. “It’s like somebody just took this whole strip of your life and ripped it off, and now it’s like you can’t really replace it. It’s not there.”

Family and friends are planning a celebration of life for Jeffrey that will include his loved ones near and far.

“I’ve always missed you when we’re apart,” said Clifford. “But now I miss you even more.”

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Hadassah Alencar, Local Journalism Initiative Reporter