When Timothy Guilbault first ran for public office 26 years ago in Red Deer his old college buddy was with him to help.Michael Dawe, the city's longtime historian, had family connections with Timothy's ancestors that dated back more than half a century.Supporting him with his political aspirations was just the right thing to do, said Dawe. He had respected and admired Timothy since they became good friends at Red Deer College in 1973.“He was the first person I can ever remember who used helium balloons to run for public office,” Dawe remembered fondly. “He went to the mall and bought balloons that were pre-printed with his name. He left the balloons at this mall and the next thing you know there are all these kids running around with balloons. It didn't cost much and the kids were happy.”Dawe's anecdote served to illustrate two things about his friend. First, Timothy was a sincere humanist who loved people, especially children, and secondly, he had a flair for politics. The balloon idea earned him kudos from the voters, and he was elected to Red Deer city council in 1986. He was re-elected twice and served until 1995 when he decided to move to Calgary to pursue his business career in human resources.Tragically, Timothy was found dead on Nov. 5 at his weekend home in Red Lodge Estates outside of Innisfail. He was 58. Timothy's son, Aaron, 31, has been charged with second-degree murder. Aaron, who is in custody, briefly appeared in Red Deer court on Nov. 6. He is scheduled to return Nov. 21. Innisfail RCMP Cpl. A.J. Mand said the investigation into the case is continuing.Adding to the family tragedy was that Timothy's 87-year-old mother Hildegard also passed away on Nov. 5. Tim's funeral was held Nov. 14 at Red Deer's CrossRoads Church.On the day of Timothy's death Dawe had just returned from a holiday in France. Dawe was going to call his old friend to see how his ailing mother was feeling. However, he was horrified to learn through emails from friends that Timothy's life was tragically struck down.“It was a tremendous shock. He was my friend,” said Dawe, adding that while he has not seen or talked to him often since he moved to Calgary 12 years earlier, Tim had still shown his loyalty and friendship by sending him a “nice note and generous donation” for his provincial election campaign bid earlier this year. “It was nice to get that reinforcement. He was the type of friend, even if you had not seen or heard from him in a while, you knew would always be your friend.”Dawe's connection to Timothy and his family began in the 1930s when his mother Jean Hodgkinson went to the same school at Flat Lake, Alta. as Hildegard. They were just eight years old and the only two girls at the one-room rural school. Timothy's father Severin and his brothers were taught by Dawe's grandmother Hilda Hodgkinson at the rural school at Chicken Lake.Over the years, Dawe and Timothy were in contact but they did not become good friends until their Red Deer College days, when the two young men served together on the Academic Affairs Board, a forum for students to have a voice on how the college was run.“I knew him from the old family connections. He was a grade or two ahead of me,” said Dawe, adding their friendship blossomed after college with Timothy helping the Red Deer archivist with his successful bid in 1983 to the Red Deer Regional Hospital Board. “He was one of the finest people I knew. I had the utmost respect for him.”Timothy's nine years on city council were memorable ones. Dawe noted he was popular with both city staff and with the people, who voted him to the top of the polls in at least one election.Colleen Jensen, Red Deer's former director of Community Services, said she fondly remembered Timothy's service when he was council's representative on the Family and Community Support Services Board.“He was very even-handed, thoughtful on how he approached things, soft-spoken and very fair,” said Jensen, who was the city's social planning manager during most of the time Timothy was on council. “He brought good experience to the board from his work in human resources. He was very competent on the managerial side and very understanding on the community side. It was a nice balance.”Dawe said his group of friends believed during the mid-1990s that Timothy should run for mayor. However, Timothy elected to pursue career interests instead. At the time of his death he was vice-president of human resources for Calgary-based Brookfield Residential Properties. In 2004, he founded Guilbault Associates Ltd., a firm providing professional search services and human resources consulting. Timothy's son Aaron is listed as an employee working as a human resources consultant.“Tim was just so focused,” said Dawe. “He was on council, pursuing his career, trying to get his masters degree in business administration, and driving his kids around from one place to another for sports. I used to say to him, ‘Tim how do you find the energy to get everything in?“He genuinely cared for people, an exceptional hardworking man who contributed a lot to the community,” added Dawe. “He always tried to do things for others.”
