ST. JOHN’S, NL – Stedman Leander Brophy was a “true pioneer who exemplified the values of hard work, determination and dedication to family and community,” Fisheries and Land Resources Minister Gerry Byrne said in the House of Assembly on May 16.
Brophy passed away at the Rufus Guinchard Health Centre in Port Saunders on May 7 at the age of 84.
Born in King's Cove, Brophy grew up in Port Saunders and settled in Daniel’s Harbour on the Great Northern Peninsula.
“He was a man of many talents – a fisherman, seaman, hunter, logger, farmer, and a pilot,” Byrne said.
“With his passing, he leaves behind a proud and strong legacy as an entrepreneur and a family man."
Byrne said Brophy was “a man who made things happen.”
Together with his wife Effie, Brophy started Brophy and Sons Big Game Outfitter in 1969, a business their sons, Leander and Nell, still operate.
“Among his many other accomplishments, Mr. Brophy was also a dairy farmer. When he couldn’t access milk processing facilities in Corner Brook because he was told the distance was too great, Mr. Brophy found another way – he established a milk processing facility right there at home in Daniel’s Harbour,” Bryne acknowledged.
“Viking Trail Dairy was a household name in Newfoundland and Labrador for many years, and today his sons Leslie, Leander and Nell are following in their father’s footsteps with Brophy’s Dairy Farm Ltd., a true success story of the Newfoundland and Labrador agriculture industry.”
Byrne offered his condolence to Brophy’s family on behalf of the Government of Newfoundland and Labrador.