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August 22, 2015 - 10:35 AM
ASHCROFT - Community members have raised enough money to purchase a memorial bench for Ed Gyoba, a well-known man in Ashcroft and Cache Creek who died in an alleged murder last year.
Susan Maximiuk, who took it upon herself to collect the funds, says it only took about a month to raise the $1,600 necessary for the bench.
“People were phoning my house and asking me if they could donate. I had one lady who wanted to pay for the whole thing herself,” she says. “Ed was respected in both Ashcroft and Cache Creek. He was just the kindest man. He always had kind words for everyone."
Maximiuk says she’s not sure on the date of the bench’s delivery, but says it'll be placed in Ashcroft Park where Ed’s widow Barb walks her dog and watches the occasional soccer game.
“It’s something positive coming out of the negative,” Maximiuk says.
Barb says she's "looking forward to having it so I can go and sit on the bench and talk to Eddy."
Ed’s nephew Shane Gyoba is charged with second-degree murder in Ed’s death. His trial is currently on hold pending a psychiatric assessment.
To contact a reporter for this story, email Glynn Brothen at gbrothen@infonews.ca, or call 250-319-7494. To contact the editor, email mjones@infonews.ca or call 250-718-2724.
News from © iNFOnews, 2015