Killaloe — The victim of last Wednesday’s fatal crash on Round Lake Road is being remembered as a person loved his family and who was actively involved in the community and his church after moving to the area several years ago.
Randy Neff, 54, of Golden Lake, died at the scene of a three-vehicle crash involving a pick-up truck and two passenger cars near Jack’s Lake on Round Lake Road in Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township at about 5 p.m. on June 5.
An employee at Canadian Nuclear Laboratories in Chalk River, he was on his way home from work when the crash occurred. The investigation revealed a pick-up truck was northbound on Round Lake Road when it struck two southbound passenger cars. The 42-year-old driver of the pick-up from Laurentian Valley Township and his 43-year-old passenger, from Pembroke, and the 55-year-old driver of one of the passenger cars, were transported to hospital by land ambulance with minor injuries.
Mr. Neff, the driver of the other passenger car, was pronounced dead at the scene.
Police are continuing their investigation into the cause of the crash and charges are pending.
The two occupants of the pick-up truck, Bill Wagner and Darren Schutt, were returning home from their jobs at North American Sawmills Machinery on Golden Lake.
It is alleged the pick-up truck veered into the southbound where it struck the first car which then veered off into the ditch and then slammed head-on into the Neff car.
Initially, the call came in as a multiple collision involving six vehicles which resulted in the dispatch of five land ambulances and two Ornge Air helicopters. Several police officers from both the Killaloe and Upper Ottawa Valley Ontario Provincial Police detachments responded as well as the KHR Fire Department. There is no cell service in this area and that may have contributed to the confusion and misinformation in the initial reports.
The highway remained closed until about 4 a.m. on Thursday.
A Role Model
Duane Neff, who lives in the Westmeath area, said his brother was definitely a role model to many.
“Randy lived for his family,” he shared. “His family, his work, and serving the community we’re always priorities before his own.”
He said prior to his brother joining the staff at CNL, he and Tim Summers of Pembroke were partners in a contracting business headquartered on Greenwood Road in Laurentian Valley Township for about 20 years.
“They did house renovations, barn renovations, new home construction,” he explained. “They did everything from foundations to the top of the roof.
“And it was one of the joys of Randy’s life, to be able to see things created and done well,” he added.
When his late brother moved to the Bonnechere River along the Tramore Road five years ago to build on the homestead farm of his parents and maternal grandparents, the Summers, the project became Randy’s pride and joy.
“That’s where his heart was, on the Bonnechere and at Summers’ Mountain,” he added.
A Talented Individual
Former Golden Lake resident, Kevin O’Connor, who now resides in Gravenhurst, knew Mr. Neff through their involvement with the Knights of Columbus at St. Andrew’s Catholic Church in Killaloe.
“With his very infectious smile, he reached out and shook my hand, saying something like, ‘My name is Randy Neff, transferring in from Pembroke. My wife Sharon and I have built our dream home on the (Bonnechere) river and we have moved in. And we’re really delighted to be here and I’m looking forward to helping you and the Council if I can’.”
He described Mr. Neff as a very talented individual who brought a breath of fresh air to their council, with his positive attitude and diverse skill set.
“He always had the time and expertise to lead our Council in several important projects, big or small, and when my term was up as Grand Knight, Randy stepped in and was happy to do so,” he remarked.
Mr. O’Connor said in his more than 60 year business career, he had been in many volunteer organizations and worked with many volunteers, but few others had impacted him the way Mr. Neff had.
“Randy has to be one of the finest people I have ever worked with and he’ll be truly missed by many,” he stated.
Debbie Peplinskie, a councillor in Killaloe, Hagarty and Richards Township and an employee at CNL, knew the late Mr. Neff very well.
“It’s pretty somber here,” she said of the general mood around the Chalk River facility where the flags were lowered to half mast last Thursday morning following the accident to honour an employee and friend.
She believed Mr. Neff had been at CNL for 12 years. He was a construction superintendent in the construction group.
“We worked in the same department,” she said. “Randy did a lot of work with the new buildings.
“I’m part of the active new builds and Randy was the construction super for the non-active new buildings,” she added. “So we both worked on capital projects.”
She said Mr. Neff was both liked and respected by anyone he encountered, from co-workers to contractors. She described him as very knowledgeable, noting they ate lunch together almost every day at the plant.
“He was a family guy,” she noted. “He spoke about his family all the time, his wife, Sharon, his kids, his grandkids.
“They were the apples of his eye and he loved to talk about them,” she added.
She described him as very down to earth, adding she had the honour of being asked by Mrs. Neff to do one of the readings at the Celebration of Life at the family home on Sunday.
“Afterwards, she said Randy would have been very happy I did that because he spoke highly of me, which really meant a lot to me,” she said, her voice breaking with emotion during the interview on Monday. “He’s leaving a big hole here, we’re all going to miss his big, boisterous laugh and his presence.”
Julie Huckabone, principal at St. Andrew’s Catholic School in Killaloe, recalls meeting Mr. Neff shortly after her arrival there two years ago.
“When I arrived in Killaloe, he went out of his way then to offer the support of the Knights of Columbus in any capacity that he could,” she recalled.
That support included helping make a float for the Santa Claus parade, helping with the set-up for the annual Christmas concerts, whatever he could do to help, without hesitation.
“He built a beautiful stage set for our Christmas concert two years ago,” she said. “It looked just like the interior of a home. It was beautiful the work he did.”
Mr. Neff is survived by his wife, Sharon (Wilson), children, Christopher, Aaron (Julie), Shelby, and Shannon (Renee); grandchildren, Finn, Keaton and Adelaide; mother, Tiny and stepfather, Steven Crozier, of Corbeil; brothers, Duane and Todd (Jen); father-in-law, Jack Wilson, and extended family. He was predeceased by his father, Allen Neff and mother-in-law Evelyn Wilson.
Visitation is Thursday, June13 from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at Zohr Funeral Home in Killaloe.