Bench honouring Donald Light. (Alicia Wotherspoon/Facebook)

By Ian Gustafson

memorial

Bench installed on River Street to honour Donald Light

Nov 11, 2020 | 10:00 AM

After nearly a year since a Prince Albert man went missing, the family of Donald Light along with officials from the City of Prince Albert, have cemented a memorial bench to honour him.

Light went missing on Nov. 19, 2019 after going for a walk. He did not return. After months of searching, on April 28, 2020 Light’s body was discovered along the riverbank.

David Light, Donald’s brother, told paNOW the decision for the bench came after his sibling’s remains were cremated.

“We still kind of felt like he wants somewhere to go,” he said. “Normally people have a gravestone or somewhere else to go and the spot where the bench is on the river is the spot where we found him.”

The memorial bench is located near the 1200 block of River Street East near the trail and was placed there last Tuesday.

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Light said the City of Prince Albert hired Metalman Art and Design in Saskatoon for the project.

There are three words displayed on the bench: adventurous, reserved and loved, which Light said describes Donald. They were also the three words to sum him up in his obituary.

Along with the words is a display of trees and a night sky engraved on the bench.

“He was a huge nature guy. I wanted it to be nighttime, so I made sure there was a moon on there. I know he spent some time in B.C. and he loved hiking. He also spent a lot of time at our cabin in northern Saskatchewan,” Light said.

Donald’s mother, Kelly Pickering said it means a lot to have something on display to honour her son.

“We haven’t been able to have a service for him and I have his ashes, and so does David and so does his father have some. There’s nowhere to go and sit and reflect and now there is,” she said.

She explained it seemed right to have it displayed right where he was found.

“We miss him greatly,” she added. “It’s coming to the anniversary of his death so it’s sort of fitting that the bench was in place in time for that anniversary.”

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Ian.gustafson@jpbg.ca

On Twitter: @princealbertnow