Efforts are underway to organize a drive-by memorial for Brock Township Mayor Debbie Bath Hadden.

With provincial restrictions related to COVID-19 still in place, Ward 5 Councillor Lynn Campbell noted that she’s hoping to plan a way for area residents to safely pay their respects for Bath-Hadden, who died on Jan. 24 after battling cancer.

Campbell said she plans on working with Township and Region staff, including the health department, to plan the event and would also see the municipality purchase a tree and/or bench in Bath-Hadden’s memory.

In addition to being elected Brock’s first female mayor in 2018, Bath-Hadden served three terms as a ward councillor and another as regional councillor.

She was also extremely active in the community.

Bath-Hadden was a longtime coach with minor baseball, served on the organizing committee of the Sunderland Maple Syrup Festival for more than a decade and helped co-ordinate a number of fundraisers for the Canadian Cancer Society, including the Relay for Life’s three-year run in Sunderland.

A celebration of Bath-Hadden’s life will be held at a later date. Brock Township has launched an online Book of Condolences that will be shared with her family.

Photo courtesy of Cindy Ouellette