Jeff Eberhardt passed away on May 6 at the age of 49.
Eberhardt lived in the park for years where he and the community had a reciprocal relationship. He looked after Exhibition Park, and the neighbourhood looked after him.
“The neighbourhood’s not the same. We lost part of our community,” said resident Beth Farley. “Jeff embodied what it’s like to be a good neighbor and what it’s like to do good deeds for each other.”
Eberhardt was responsible for shoveling people’s driveways after a snowstorm, offering a friendly smile as people walked through the park, and being a fixture of the local baseball scene. People living near the park say he also helped walk children to school and brought garbage bins up from the curb on collection day.
“You don’t find guys like him a whole lot, and he was Exhibition Park’s angel,” said Guelph Coun. Phil Allt.
Allt is planning a memorial near the Exhibition Park baseball diamond to honour Eberhardt in the coming weeks.
