Over 1,600 people joined Red Deer doctors and caregivers as they remembered and celebrated the life of Dr. Walter Reynolds alongside his family members. The doctor was killed during an attack at the Village Mall Walk-In Clinic in Red Deer that occurred on Monday, August 10th. The vigil took place on Friday, August 14th at City Hall in Red Deer. 

Many of his colleagues spoke about the doctor and his dedication to his practice, his kindness, and his devotion to his wife and two young daughters. His sister-in-law was able to share a bit of his family life. A patient was able to describe Reynold’s kind approach and how he went above and beyond to help her gain Canadian citizenship. 

“As one of the speakers noted that our community isn’t defined by the actions of one person but that ultimately our community stands in solidarity and we demonstrated our unity as a community tonight and absolutely our ongoing unwavering commitment to the Reynolds family and supporting Dr. Reynold’s wife and two girls,” said City of Red Deer Mayor, Tara Veer. 

The crowd was donning face masks and sporting the blue and green Red Deer PCN ribbons made in Dr. Reynold's honour.  During the candlelit vigil, Bryan Adams’ ‘Straight from the Heart’ echoed throughout downtown Red Deer as the city showed their love and compassion for Dr. Reynold’s family members. 

“When everybody held up their light at the end, I think that was an important message for the family to see. People are with them and goodness will prevail even though their family faced an absolutely tragic circumstance this week, that does not define our community. The community that we saw tonight was who the real Red Deer is,” added Veer. 

Messages of condolences can be sent to reynolds@rdpcn.com. You can also click here to donate to the Walter Reynolds Memorial Fund and support the Reynolds family. If you were unable to attend the vigil, you can also view a live stream of the event by clicking here.