Rain, hail, shine or snow, for 28 years with his wife, Betty, by his side, Fred Waldburg used to scour South Arm Park every single morning for other people’s garbage.
Armed only with their trusty pickers and plastic bags, the couple – who emigrated from Germany in the ‘50s - must have picked up tons of litter on their daily rounds in their neighbourhood of 51 years.
Sadly, Fred passed away earlier this week, age 85, after suffering a stroke at the family home – through the lane from the park – just over a month ago.
His daughter, Irene Hofler, said her dad was still going out for his daily walk and clean-up until recently, before he “started to slow down.”
“They would still walk the old dog around but they kept the distance shorter,” she added.
“Sometimes he brought his pickers but the days got fewer. We could see that he was struggling with his strength.”
Park regulars stepping up to the plate
Hofler said the park regulars “have been lovely,” with many people asking how the couple were doing.
“My mom still will go out but mobility is hard. She's not comfortable walking too far these days.”
Hofler said she has passed on the pickers to a few of those park regulars, in the hope they continue the great community work of her parents.
And she said when she visits the family home, she and her husband “will always take a walk around my old school. I'll take my dad's pickers and follow (in) his footsteps.”
Hofler said there is no funeral planned, but the family is holding a celebration of life at the home.
In the story, the couple proudly showed off their City of Richmond appreciation certificate, despite the pair having a joke about their name being spelled wrong.
We also recorded a fun video of the pair during one of their daily clean-ups back in 2014.
