Gathering in peaceful Pioneer Park under sparkling afternoon sunlight, locals paid tribute on Friday (July 16) to the beautiful spirit, inspiring strength and boundless generosity of Lynda Chandler.

Chandler, a former Village of Pemberton councillor, longtime community contributor and much-loved face of the local branch of the North Shore Credit Union, died in May after a four-year battle with cancer and illness. Sharing stories of Chandler’s unflagging warmth, compassion and strength, locals came together on Friday in Pioneer Park to plant a Japanese maple tree in honour of Chandler, who loved the country of Pemberton’s sister village.

Locals shared some laughter, some tears and many tales of Chandler’s many doings and multifaceted interests as they remembered the gifts she gave them and the community through her strong, kind and passionate spirit.

Michelle Beauregard, who served on the Village council with Chandler for three years, remembered Chandler as a “deep thinker who loved to ponder life’s mysteries,” and an unfailingly calm and strong presence. In a speech she prepared for Chandler’s memorial, Beauregard wrote that Chandler was an unswerving champion of fairness and defending the rights of all people.

“Once she got her hands into something, her dedication and devotion were tireless,” Beauregard wrote. “Whenever someone needed a calm, concerned, compassionate listener, Lynda was always ready, whether it was a fellow councillor or concerned community member.”

Former councillor Mark Blundell knew Chandler for 14 years and counted her as one of his best friends, cherishing the good fortune that caused their paths to cross. In 8 ½ years on council, he said, Chandler was “probably the best councillor I’ve come across.”

Never influenced by outside forces, always strong yet respectful in her debates, Chandler always strove to make the best decisions for the community and inspired her fellow council members, Blundell said.

She was “a genuinely neat, nice person. When she spoke, the niceness came out,” he said.

She forged many friendships in her many years in Pemberton, and had their support through her battle with cancer. Chandler had to move to Vancouver a year ago to be close to medical necessities, but continued making interesting travel plans, taking watercolour classes and connecting with her new neighbourhood.

“She was such a strong-willed person… We knew she was going to try to go as long as she could, and she did,” Blundell said.

Local writer Lisa Richardson, who knew Chandler for eight years and observed the “super inspiring” and open way she confronted her cancer, spoke warmly of how Chandler was always looking to boost others and open doors.

Former mayor Elinor Warner, who was unable to attend the memorial, sent a message describing Chandler’s service as an “exceptional councillor” propelled by a “genuine desire to help people and to make a difference in Pemberton.”

Current Pemberton Councillor and Electoral Area C Director Susie Gimse admired Chandler for taking on a leadership role with council while maintaining her full-time job, her well-thought-out approach to issues, her ability to communicate her ideas and her positive spirit.

She had “a kind of energy that you wanted to be a part of and you wanted to work with,” Gimse said, adding that her passing marks a huge loss for Pemberton, as her contributions to the community began long before her council service. “We will miss her so much.”

“She treated her fellow council members with respect and listened to their views. She would then come to her own conclusions and vote accordingly. She was able to keep her business life as a banker separate from her work as a councillor. She did this well because of her ethics and her true desire to help people,” wrote Warner, who also remembered travelling through Japan with the fun, humourous and ever-patient Chandler just before she was diagnosed with cancer.

Beauregard recalled a Zen Buddhist priest, whom Chandler met on the trip with Warner, inquiring about Chandler during a function with in Pemberton with the local council and the delegation from Miya, Pemberton’s Japanese sister village. Chandler’s illness kept her away from the gathering, and the priest, with tears in his eyes, said he would do a special prayer ceremony for her.

“Her quiet grace just always stayed with you,” Beauregard said.