The annual service to remember the victims of the Ocean Ranger disaster takes place this morning at the Basilica in St. John’s.

Former Corner Brook Mayor Priscilla Boutcher lost her son David when the rig sank in a vicious winter storm in the early morning hours of February 15, 1982.

Even 41 years after the disaster, the shock of the loss is still profound.

“You can’t forget when there’s no closure,” she says. David was one of the crewmembers on board whose body was never recovered.

Boutcher, who has attended memorial services in the past, says she can’t take the risk of travelling over the highway this time of year, but two of her grandsons will be in attendance this morning.

David took numerous pictures of the rig that he sent back to his mother to show her where he worked. She later donated those pictures, some of which have since been shared on social media, to The Rooms.

This morning’s service will be livestreamed on the Basilica website at 10:30.