MONGOWIN TOWNSHIP – On Friday, December 6 at 2:12 pm, members of the Manitoulin Detachment of the Ontario Provincial Police (OPP), with the assistance of the Manitoulin-Sudbury District Services Board emergency medical services and the Whitefish Falls/Willisville Fire Department, responded to a report of a single motor vehicle collision on Highway 6 near Lachance Road south of the Town of Espanola.
The investigation revealed that a motor vehicle left the roadway. The driver of the motor vehicle suffered minor injuries, but the passenger, Levi Debassige, 76, of M’Chigeeng was pronounced dead at the scene.
The investigation is ongoing with the assistance of OPP Technical Collision Investigators.
Highway 6 was closed for several hours following the accident.
Mr. Debassige was well known across Manitoulin for his job running the M’Chigeeng Arena. He was an avid hunter, golfer and ice fisherman who loved to garden. Mr. Debassige and his wife Maisie loved to travel and would often frequent casinos, even as far away as Michigan.
Mr. Debassige’s “hearty laugh” will be missed by many.
A funeral for Mr. Debassige will be held tomorrow, Thursday, December 12, at 11 am at the M’Chigeeng Complex.
