With an intimate ceremony attended by family, friends, city staff and councilors, the beach volleyball courts at Sunset Park were dedicated to former city councillor Craig Fawcett July 17.
“He loved volleyball,” said former Chestermere Mayor and friend of Fawcett’s Dave Mikkelsen, “I think it was very nice, the city did a nice job.”
Fawcett met his wife Cheryl through beach volleyball.
“The beach volleyball courts were important to us, just for our history,” she said.
Fawcett and his wife Cheryl moved to Chestermere in 1993, when Chestermere ad a population of about 1100 people.
“So, Craig was involved very early on,” she said.
Fawcett was 51 when he passed away in January 2015.
“It’s very touching for me that they’ve put up a plaque in memory of Craig,” said Cheryl.
Speakers at the dedication talked about Fawcett’s love of volleyball and his tireless contributions to the city both on and off council.
Cheryl found paperwork showing that Craig sat on the parks committee for 20 years.
“Craig was very community minded,” she said, “lots of time spent on making Chestermere a better place for everybody,” said Cheryl.
“Craig was a great guy he was contributing to the community before he went on council that was just kind of one of the things he did,” said Mikkelsen.
“He lived a really good life, a full life,” he said.
Along with serving on city council, Fawcett was a long-time volunteer serving on a number of committee’s and helped shape the parks that Chestermere’s residents enjoy today.
Mikkelsen said that as a councillor, Fawcett worked hard for the city taking on roles with the bylaw review committees, the subdivision appeal board and the parks committee.
“This is the first major park that Craig didn’t have something to do with,” he said.
Mikkelsen believes that dedicating the volleyball courts to Fawcett is the perfect way to remember his friend saying that Fawcett would have enjoyed watching the residents and visitors to Chestermere enjoy the park.
Cheryl agrees saying that the whole park looks beautiful.
“He would have been very impressed,” she said, “I’m sure he would have been out here playing regularly.”
“I just think that the gesture on the part of the city and of the foundation is fabulous to dedicate this park to Craig,” said Mikkelsen.
