‘A heartbreaking day for everyone’: Dauphin mayor dies while on Florida vacation

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This article was published 25/11/2017 (2965 days ago), so information in it may no longer be current.

Shaken friends and colleagues are struggling with the news that Dauphin Mayor Eric Irwin had died suddenly on a family vacation in Florida on Friday.

The cause of the death is unknown, but at least one close friend believed it was due to natural causes. Irwin was believed to have been snorkeling at the time of his death.

“As Mayor, his leadership provided financial stability along with projects and initiatives that offered growth to the community, all while maintaining strong fiscal constraints. His visionary ability and leadership will be greatly missed,” the city’s statement read.

“His passing creates a void in our community but offers inspiration to carry out his vision.”

The council for the city of 8,400 people located 327 kilometres northwest of Winnipeg planned to meet with senior city administrators and in consultation with the province, develop a plan for the mayor’s replacement. Irwin had one year left in his term.

Deputy Mayor Allen Dowhan said Irwin first moved to Dauphin as a young lawyer, probably over 30 years ago and fast became a local booster and was among the city’s hardest working volunteers.

“His mind was going 24/7 and we’ll miss him dearly.” Dowhan said.

“When he took a project on, he made sure he attacked it with a passion. He wanted the best for our region and our community, because we’re in a rural community and with the declining rural population, we wanted to grow our community.”

Irwin’s long-time friend and colleague, Yorkton-based music promoter Rob Waloschuk, said he was the driving force behind the success of Dauphin’s Countryfest.

“Not only we were colleagues together in Countryfest. We were friends. We did a lot of things together. You know, trips to Nashville, seeing music together, stuff like that,” Waloschuk said.

The annual festival is one of the country’s biggest country music events and among the largest outdoor music venues in Manitoba. Irwin led it for over two decades, after taking over as president in 1988, the same year he was first elected to Dauphin city council. The music festival put the town on the music map.

“It’s really a heartbreaking day for everyone involved. I still can’t even wrap my head around it. It’s like a bad dream right now.

“He was the mayor. He was the president of the Co-op. He was on Rotary. He had a successful law firm, which, by the way, was the only thing that actually paid him,” his Waloschuk said. “Everything else that Eric ever did, it was all volunteer. He was going constantly, 24/7, and I often asked him ‘How do you do it. Why do you do it?’

 

“He just truly had a love of everything that he did. Every organization he was a part of, it was because he wanted to make things better.”

Word of the death spread like wildfire through the country music industry with Twitter posts from as far away as Nashville by early afternoon.

“This is shocking. Eric was such an great spirit and ambassador. The show will go on but it will never be the same. My (emoji for heart) is w/ his fam and Dauphin,” Nashville broadcaster and SiriusXM host Storme Warren tweeted.

Condolences poured in from the political and labour worlds as well.

“Saddened to hear of the sudden passing of Eric Irwin, Mayor of Dauphin,” read one post on Manitoba Premier Brian Pallister’s Twitter.

The shock was deepest for people who regarded him as almost an unstoppable force of nature.

In addition to his wife and daughter Irwin was also the father of two sons, the Free Press was told.

According to provincial law, the city is not required to hold a byelection to fill the mayor’s seat since Manitoba’s municipal elections are less than a year away. If council decides not to hold a byelection, council can appoint one of their own to the mayor’s desk.

alexandra.paul@freepress.mb.ca