"Patrick's Ride" parked outside the Renfrew Armouries
A community bid farewell to a young man described as “salt of the earth” and “born to be a farmer” on Wednesday evening.
A full crowd of friends, neighbours, and other community members was in attendance for a celebration of the life of Patrick van Lindenberg, who passed away suddenly of an undiagnosed heart condition last week, at the Renfrew Armouries.
The night was led by celebrant Julie Keon, who explained that the shock and disbelief felt by most in the room had the purpose of “keeping broken hearts from completely shattering.”
Keon notes that Patrick was a profoundly caring person who made friends easily and whose persistence helped him achieve many dreams from a young age.
Patrick’s mother, Angela Field, would recount her son as both a habitual pusher of buttons and a person to whom kindness and thoughtfulness were second nature.
Field recounts countless variations of conversations where she would talk Patrick down from “crazy things” he had planned with his friends, as well as his passion for anything “with horsepower that made noise and went fast.”
True to the Kenny Chesney song, Field says Patrick was “living in fast forward, a hillbilly rockstar out of control.”
Speaking after the event, an emotional Field would recognize the continued backing her family has received since last week, which included dozens of fellow farmers showing up to the ceremony via a fleet of tractors and other farming equipment cutting through downtown Renfrew.
Donations in Patrick’s honour should be directed to the Renfrew County Child Poverty Action Network, which Field says is always in need of support as they help local children.
(written by Kasey Egan)
A procession of farmers makes their way down Renfrew’s Veterans Memorial Boulevard on route to the celebration of life for Patrick van Lindenberg on Wednesday, June 26th.