Town of Ponoka councillor and former fire chief Ted Dillon has passed away.
Family posted on social media on the weekend that Dillon went peacefully, on Saturday night, March 9, surrounded by his family after a short battle with cancer.
“It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of councillor Dillon,” said Ponoka Mayor Kevin Ferguson in a press release on Monday.
“Before Ted was a town councillor, he was always a proud and caring husband, father and grandfather. To our town, he was our former and much respected fire chief, friend and was always a volunteer extraordinaire,” said Ferguson.
“In short, Ted was an icon and belonged to us all. To our council, he was our beloved companion whom we shared so many joyful moments with over the years, all while being a great source of sage wisdom.”
According to the town’s website, Dillon, who was married to Barb and father to three sons, was born and raised in Ponoka, graduating from Ponoka Composite High School in 1968.
Dillon was in his seventh year of serving as a town councillor during which he served on many boards and committees, including the Police Advisory Committee, Ponoka Victim Services, the Emergency Advisory Committee, the Rimoka Housing Foundation, the Pe Sakastew Centre, and the Ponoka Stampede and Exhibition Association.
He worked for the Town of Ponoka for 26 years as a fire chief, director of Community Services and director of Protective Services. He was also briefly the interim acting CAO.
Dillon served on the board of the Alberta Fire Chiefs Association (AFCA) for eight years as a director and later as a vice president. He was a lifetime AFCA member.
In an online post, the AFCA expressed their condolences to Dillon’s wife, family and friends.
Dillon was also involved in hockey all of his life — refereeing, coaching, score keeping on the Minor Hockey Board (senior and Junior B) and was president of the Ponoka Stampeders Senior Hockey Club for several years.
In honour of Dillon, the flags at the Ponoka Civic Centre will remain at half-mast until the end of March. The Canadian flag at the intersection of Highway 53 and Highway 2A will also be lowered to half-mast until the end of March.
“To me personally, Ted was my cherished friend, and I will miss him more than words can say,” said Ferguson.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Alberta Cancer Foundation, the Calgary or Edmonton Firefighter Burn Treatment Society, or a charity of your choice.
A public celebration of life will be held at the Stagecoach Saloon (Ponoka Stampede Grounds) on Friday, March 22, at 1:30 p.m.