Over 300 pay homage to former mayor
It’s the small dash between the birth date and date of passing on memorial cards that piques Rev. Les Halliwell’s interest the most.

Ed Moore
Leader Staff
Monday March 05, 2007

“It’s that dash in the middle that’s always fascinated me. That symbol represents an entire life. For all of us who knew Ron (Linford) he was much more than that,” Halliwell said.
He made his remarks during the memorial service last Thursday for former Edson Mayor and IGA owner Ron Linford. The 77-year-old long-time resident died of Amyotrophic Lateral Sclerosis or Lou Gehrig’s Disease on Feb. 25.
Over 300 people attended the afternoon service. In the crowd were Mayor Greg
Pasychny, West Yellowhead MLA Ivan Strang, a good friend of Linford’s, IGA employees, members of Edson town council, along with a good cross-section of prominent businesspeople, family members, friends and acquaintances of Linford’s.
Halliwell said conducting the service was one of the toughest things he’s ever had to do.
“Sometimes I feel like Mark Messier did the other night.”
He said Linford was a man who knew when to be quiet and when to tell a joke.
“He told me one time the best thing to do sometimes is just shut up,” Halliwell said.
Strang said many people might have got the wrong impression and misunderstood Linford.
“He was a very shy man but a very giving man.”
Strang added that Linford was a very generous man who helped a lot of people and did a lot of things behind the scenes.
“He never really wanted any praise -- it was something he wanted to do. He did a lot of things that people never knew he did.”
Strang said one of Linford’s greatest legacies was working with young people. During the memorial service he told those gathered that Linford bought modular classrooms for Parkland Composite High School because he recognized the need.
He also donated day old baked goods on a regular basis to an Edson elementary school because he realized that some youngsters were going hungry.
Hwy 16 twinning booster
Linford was also instrumental in lobbying for the eventual twinning of Hwy. 16 during the early-1990s and pushed for continued safety measures on the road.
“He was very proud of that,” Strang said.
Ann Marie Francis, Linford’s sister-in-law, gave the eulogy. She provided some personal insights about him that many may not have been aware of.

She said Linford loved to drive but he wanted to get to his destination as soon as possible with no distractions.
“He was a point A to point B kind of guy -- with no diddling along the way.”
Francis said Linford also liked his gadgets and sometimes went to extremes to test their workability.
She said on one trip he suddenly veered the vehicle sharply to the left. This was totally out of character for Linford as he usually
adhered to the tried and true when it came to motoring. Suddenly everyone heard an electronic voice.
“This was his way of demonstrating his GPS.”
It turned out the GPS informed him he was going the wrong direction, which told Linford the device had lived up to its advanced billing, she said.
Avid sports fan
Francis said Linford was an avid sports fan who faithfully purchased Edmonton Oilers and Edmonton Eskimos season tickets. She added he was also a generous supporter of Edson sports organizations.
She told of his many visits to her home in Saskatchewan where she said she must have accompanied Linford to many of the province’s IGA stores.
“He was attracted to that sign like a bear was attracted to honey.”
The former Edson IGA owner was also an avid train buff, Francis said. He used to unveil his train set every year for all to see and had a tape of train whistles he used to play often, she added.
Francis said Linford had a great sense of humour and had a stable of one-liners.
But despite his success he still had simple tastes, especially when it came to food, Francis said.
“One of his favourite meals was macaroni and cheese done in the oven -- how simple is that?”
Halliwell said he had many fond memories of Linford when they both served on the St. John’s Hospital Board, later to become the Edson and District Healthcare Centre. At the time Halliwell was the hospital’s chief administrative officer and Linford was the board chairperson.
“He was a very, very excellent guy -- I deeply admired him.”
Halliwell also admired his friend’s honesty and forthrightness -- traits he appreciated.
“He wouldn’t beat around the bush. If he didn’t like it he told you so and if he liked it he’d tell you that too.”
Halliwell said Linford was a quiet man and kept to himself a lot of the time but he
also projected strength.
Carried a big stick
“He stayed in his own space -- he carried a big stick and certainly he was a powerhouse in his own right.”
Both Halliwell and Strang agreed that one of Linford’s joys was spending time with his family.
“He was a family man -- he enjoyed his family,” Halliwell said.
Another love of Linford’s was his work, he added.
“He liked his business -- he enjoyed business life. Certainly he was good at what he did. He was a fellow who liked to work, enjoyed his occupation and was well respected by his peers.”
It was a common occurrence to see Linford at work in the store stocking shelves. In other words he wasn’t afraid of getting his hands dirty, Halliwell said.
“He’d be right in the middle of it all even if it meant that he would have to go home and change his clothes afterward.”
One of his greatest legacies was his community spirit, Halliwell said. That and his generosity.
“I don’t think the people of Edson will ever fully know what he gave in the community both to organizations and to individuals -- it would be thousands and thousands of dollars.”
Linford served on Edson town council from 1980 to 1983 and was the town’s mayor from 1983 to 1986.
He is survived by wife Evelyn, three sons, Ken, Keith and Brian, grandson Jordan, mother Henrietta, brothers Alan, and Bob, sister Pat, Francis family in-laws and numerous cousins, nephews and nieces. Linford was predeceased by father Frank and brother Lorne.