Beverley Perrin is gone. I’ll miss her cheery voice, the sparkle in her eyes when she smiled, and her heart filled with warmth, kindness and gratitude.

Bev, a senior from Chatham, Ont., wrote thousands of thank-you cards and handed them out to truck drivers when the pandemic hit.

Her smile would light up a gloomy, cold, and wet truck stop. She had a kind word for everyone, especially truck drivers sitting alone in their cabs or as they passed through the store.

When the Covid pandemic struck and places were locked down in 2020, Bev and her husband Dick, read about truck drivers who were denied the use of washrooms and were stuck at the Canada-U.S. border for hours.

She went to a nearby store, bought all 20 thank-you cards that were on sale, wrote a note on each of them, and handed them to truck drivers delivering goods to nearby stores.

Seeing the appreciation from drivers, Perrin continued to buy hundreds of cards, write thank you messages and hand-deliver them to drivers at service centers and a truck stop in Tilbury, Ont., once a month. The truck stop store let her keep a box of cards for drivers to pick up, and she replenished them.

These thoughtful seniors featured in the first story I wrote for Today’s Trucking in March 2021.

In December that year, Dick entered hospice care. He insisted that Bev continue delivering the cards to truckers, and she did.

“He has a few days left,” Bev told me then, adding her faith is keeping her strong. “We have been married 52 years.”

I met Bev at the truck stop on a cold December day when she was delivering the cards.

A single meeting is all it took for Bev to leave a profound impact on me. She had a joy within her that comes from spreading kindness and gratitude.  

There was a bounce in her step as she chatted with staff in the store and replenished her box of thank-you cards for the drivers.

We then headed out into the parking lot. If the curtains were drawn in the cab, Bev would stick a card into the door handle. If the driver was visible, she’d tap on their door and chat with them while handing out a card and thanking them for their service.

It was a joy to see the interactions the drivers were having with Bev. Many got out of their cabs to chat with her. There were many smiles and hugs exchanged. Some drivers stuck her card where they could see it in their cabs. Bev had a heart of gold.

Dick passed away later that month.

Bev and I continued to exchange text messages. She took a month off from handing out her cards as she grieved Dick. Then, she was back at it, writing and handing out thank-you cards.

Sometimes, it is too late to say goodbye. I regret not keeping in touch with Bev more often.

The last time Bev texted me she said she was looking forward to traveling to Scotland to visit family.

I did not contact her for nearly two years. Last December, I sent her a text wishing her a Merry Christmas and Happy New year. There was no response, which was unlike Bev.

In the hustle and bustle of the holiday season, I forgot about it. Later, while going through my messages, I saw the text to Bev that was still awaiting a response.

A cold sensation gripped my chest as I searched Bev’s name online and I saw her obituary. Bev passed away on March 16, 2023. I had told Bev we’d meet over a cup of coffee if I was ever near Chatham. Sadly, that’s not going to happen.

Bev was a shining example of the good that dwells in humanity. Truck drivers were touched by her kindness, as was I. Rest well kind Bev, I’ll miss you.