A solemn ceremony took place at Rocky DiPietro Field Saturday in honour of two teenage victims of a motor-vehicle collision in April.
Connor Dunn and Lukis Joy-Stoycheff, each 15-year-old Korah Collegiate student athletes, were on an e-bike when it was hit by a pick-up truck on Goulais Avenue at about 1 a.m. on April 20. Both teens were rushed to hospital.
Dunn was later pronounced dead and Joy-Stoycheff was treated for serious injuries.
Saturday’s ceremony included a short speech, a minute of silence and donation presentation at centre field before the Ontario Summer Football League (OSFL) Junior Varsity Sault Sabercats home opener game.
Dunn, a popular teen, was a member of the Soo City United U16 soccer team and played forward for the Soo Jr. Greyhounds U16 AA team that won the NOHA title this season.
Joy-Stoycheff, a close friend of Dunn’s, played his first year as a Junior Varsity Sault Sabercat in 2024 and was expected to return this season before injuries from the collision put his future on the field in limbo.
Joy-Stoycheff, who suffered fractures to his left leg in the April collision, walked with crutches and was joined at centre field by his parents Anthony Stoycheff and Lorraine Joy and supporters of the Dunn and Joy-Stoycheff families.
He was visibly moved during Saturday’s ceremony.
“It hasn't been easy, but the support's amazing. I never really expected how much support I've gotten, some of it from people that I don't even know,” Joy-Stoycheff told SooToday.
He said that his leg is healing.
“The support from the community has just been outstanding. We couldn't ask for a better community. It's amazing how a community gets together in tragedy,” said father Anthony Stoycheff.
Dunn’s grief-stricken family did not attend Saturday’s ceremony at centre field but issued a statement through family friend Ali Juma.
Juma’s son played hockey with Dunn as a child.
The Dunn family statement follows:
Thank you to the Sabrecats football community for standing with us, mourning with us and helping us honour Connor’s beautiful spirit. It means more than words can express to know that Connor touched so many lives and will be remembered with such love. Each gesture of kindness shown by friends, neighbours, strangers and teammates has given us comfort and strength as we try to navigate life after the tremendous loss of our loving, adventurous, kind-hearted and fun-filled son. It is difficult to attend these events knowing that his smile and laughter will not be found in the crowd. We know we are not the only ones missing that amazing fifteen-year-old boy. The heartfelt messages, flowers, meals and presence of those who grieve with us remind us that we do not face our sorrow alone. The Sault Ste Marie football, hockey and soccer communities have shown us an outpouring of love and support that has helped us through this unimaginably painful time.
A donation of $7,000 from the Varsity and Junior Varsity Sault Sabercats players and parents, GFL and Village Media was presented at centre field Saturday.
Half that amount will go to the Long Live Connor Dunn Memorial Fund.
The fund will honour Dunn’s passion for sport by supporting young athletes through scholarships in Sault Ste. Marie.
More donations were coming in on Saturday.
A website for the Long Live Connor Dunn Memorial Fund will be active in the near future at LLCD.ca.
The other half of Saturday’s donation will go to Lukis Joy-Stoycheff’s family to help with expenses.
The driver in the fatal collision, 18-year-old Gregory Parise, faces a long list of charges including impaired driving causing death and dangerous operation of a vehicle causing death. None of the allegations have been tested in court and Parise is presumed innocent until proven guilty.
- With files from Kenneth Armstrong