"He Was A Likeable Guy"

The Rural Municipality of Tache is dealing with the second loss of a council member in the last two months. Mayor Bill Danylchuk died of cancer in May and then Friday, July 11, Councillor Bob Koop passed away after a year long battle with pancreatic cancer.

Koop was in his third term on council; only a few months away from serving for twelve years. Deputy Mayor Ross Deschambault remembers him as the type of individual that worked very well with people.

"He had an ability to get people to work together and get things accomplished in a positive way for the municipality, his approach to issues was a very unique approach," says Deschambault. "He was a likeable guy and confrontation wasn't part of his DNA. He approached things in a way that would work for everybody."

Koop, who also served on the Local Urban District committee of Landmark resolved a lot of drainage issues in that community, recalls Deschambault. He adds Koop worked hard to have Highway 210 paved from Landmark to Ste.Anne.

Deschambault says it's quite a change to have these two empty seats around the council table. He notes in Danylchuk they lost a Mayor that had forty years of experience in municipal politics and adds his knowledge was impossible to describe. Deschambault says in Koop, they will miss tremendously his approach to municipal affairs and to the public.

"We've got two people that were very, very capable in their own fields that we now have to work without for at least the next few months before the election," says Deschambault. "They will be missed, no question about it. Their shoes are going to be very difficult to fill."

A funeral service for Koop was held July 16 at Heartland Community Church in Landmark. Deschambault says hundreds of people were there to hear of his contributions to the municipality.

"It was a very, very good going away present for Bob," says Deschambault.