Simeon Ernest Bear. (Facebook/Southend Message Board)

By Nigel Maxwell

Unsolved cases

‘We have tried everything’: Southend family searches for closure

Jul 22, 2020 | 5:00 PM

Thirty-eight years have passed since Leonard Bear’s old brother Simeon went to work at Lawrence Bay and was never seen or heard from again.

Simeon Ernest Bear, would have been 62 years old this year. A special memorial service has been planned to take place in Southend Wednesday night to mark the tragic anniversary. There has no been sign of any human remains, but Simeon’s boat, hat and paddle were found years after his disappearance.

“They found the hat on a small island and the paddle, about five kilometres from where they found that boat. I don’t know what happened there,” Leonard Bear said, adding the boat was completely wrecked.

Lawrence Bay Lodge is located roughly 56 km from Southend on Reindeer Lake, and can only be reached by boat or plane. The lodge is a very popular spot for fishing and tourists and Simeon helped haul gas and get groceries. Bear said his brother knew the lake very well and was constantly going back and forth between Southend and the lodge.

“Almost every day,” he said with a laugh.

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In the months and years following Simeon Bear’s disappearance, a number of ground, air and water searches have been conducted with no success. Bear has walked the shores himself numerous times searching for any sign of his lost brother.

“It’s really hard for me but we have tried everything,” he said.

RCMP Cpl. Rob King confirmed the case remains under investigation.

“Anything that raises the profile or awareness of these types of older, missing person cases, we are definitely in support of,” King said.

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nigel.maxwell@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @nigelmaxwell