He was a father, a video game and martial arts enthusiast, and an all-around warm and caring person.
Luke Crocker, 33, was identified by friends and family over the weekend as the victim in a fatal hit-and-run collision at Wellington and Toronto streets near downtown Barrie early Friday morning.
Crocker’s long-term girlfriend, Jenna Zardo, remembers him as being a gentle soul.
“Luke was a warm and caring person. He was accepting of everyone and completely non-judgmental. He was very generous and was always helping people,” she said. “He was the type of person who would drop what he was doing to help his friends.
"He had a way of inspiring people to believe in themselves.”
Zardo said Crocker translated ancient scrolls in his down time, and his research was respected and shared around the world.
“The thing I will miss most about Luke is his sense of humour and the way he was always there for anyone who needed him,” said Zardo.
Jamie Lynn Bueno and her common-law husband, Aron Maslon, hired Crocker at Last Level Lounge on Dunlop Street East in Barrie’s downtown in March after knowing him as a regular customer since their establishment opened.
“Luke was a good soul. When we first met him, he was very quiet,” said Bueno.
Bueno says he started frequenting the lounge with his two daughters, who live in Barrie. He also had a son who lives primarily in Burlington.
“He was a gamer. He was very passionate. He was very excited when we opened. He loved to talk about his passions: both martial arts and gaming,” said Bueno, holding back tears. “He was interested in culture, spirituality, Buddhism... He had a brilliant mind.”
The manner in which Crocker died weighs heavily on Bueno, as with most who knew him.
“After everything has set in... there is anger there. If they had stayed... maybe he would have had a chance,” said Bueno. “Just leaving him that way, by himself... there are feelings of anger toward the driver. I think everyone feels the same.”
Bueno said Crocker worked on Thursday night until 12 a.m. When the lounge closed, there were many past occasions where she would give Crocker a ride home, but that night, she said he wanted to stop at The Queens with one of the bartenders and her husband and opted to walk home afterward alone.
“I feels strange that the one time I didn’t give him a ride home...” said Bueno, as she trailed off. “We miss him dearly. It also feels strange because he was always here.”
Maslon said Crocker’s favourite game at the lounge was probably Time Crisis.
“He was a kind person. Also, he was very attentive to what we were trying to do with our business. It’s tragic,” he said.
As Maslon comes from a law-enforcement background, he said he’s concerned with the hit-and-run aspect of Crocker’s death.
“It’s bothered me,” he said. “I don’t know the whole circumstance, but we know somebody left. That’s a criminal offence. I’m not angry, I’m just trying to spread the word.
“That person, if they have any normal balance inside of them had to be going through enough grief and inner conflict that it’s enough to make me not angry. It’s going to be weighing on them for the rest of their life,” Maslon added.
Barrie police officials confirmed on Sunday that the investigation is still ongoing.
The involved vehicle is believed to be a navy blue compact or mid-sized SUV/crossover or mini-van type vehicle, which would have significant damage to the front end.
Police also believe that there may have been witnesses in the area at the time of the collision.
Police are asking anyone who may have additional information or information which could assist in identifying the vehicle or the driver involved, to contact Constable Langdon of the Barrie Police Service at 705-725-7025 ext. 2912 or [email protected].
To remain anonymous, please contact Crime Stoppers at 1-800-222-TIPS or leave an anonymous tip online at www.p3tips.com.
