Donna Parker Donna Parker and William Clark

William Clark: Parker paternal grandfather, William Clark, lost his first wife, Lavinia, and their nine-year-old daughter, Nellie, 100 years ago this month to the sinking of the Empress of Ireland, a Great Britain-bound ocean liner that went down off the coast of the Gasp Peninsula after colliding with a freighter. , according to CBC. Dubbed "Canada Titanic," the sinking of the Empress of Ireland on May 29, 1914 stands as one of the country worst maritime disasters, though a surprising number of Canadians have never heard of it. A restored photo shows Parker grandfather William Clark, left, posing with his first wife Lavinia and their daughter Nellie. Courtesy of Donna Parker Donna Parker is leaving for Quebec this weekend to commemorate the tragedy to which, the retired principal says, she owes her existence. The ship went down in a mere 14 minutes. Of the 1,477 people on board, only 465 survived. Related: Empress of Ireland finally getting its due Digital Archives: Empress of Ireland sinks in the St. Lawrence (www.immigrantscanada.com). As reported in the news.