Medal of Bravery

• Awarded on: June 10, 1999
• Invested on: June 26, 2000

Joey Andrew Fehr, M.B.
John Robert Fehr, M.B. (posthumous)
Christopher Neil Merriam, M.B.
Medal of Bravery

On August 12, 1995, 27-year-old John Fehr drowned while attempting to rescue his four-year-old nephew from Lake Erie at Port Rowan, Ontario. Six family members were fishing from a small boat when the boy fell overboard as the water became choppy and rough. His father, Joey Fehr, jumped in after him but became entangled in fishing lines before he could reach him. Despite being a weak swimmer, John Fehr immediately leaped towards his nephew. Christopher Merriam, the men's brother-in-law, also dived in and was first to reach the child. Although he was completely submerged, he managed to hold the young victim's head above water. Meanwhile, Joey Fehr had succeeded in freeing himself from the lines. He swam to his son and took him from Mr. Merriam and made his way to the drifting boat, some 35 metres away. When other boaters arrived to help, Mr. Fehr and his son had slipped under the surface from exhaustion. The two unconscious victims were pulled into a boat and revived but this tragic incident claimed the life of John Fehr whose body was recovered two days later.