By Dave Thomas
Published in June 2011
People who know Jim Erb know that he often invites guests for dinner. On April 2, even Jim was surprised when 950 people joined him for a meal.
The Guest of Honour at the 24th annual Mayors’ Dinner was fêted for his commitment to the work of community building by developing relationships, connecting people and extending the table to others. Jim is well known from his years of service as an employee, later partner and owner, of Erb & Good Family Funeral Home, a Waterloo city councillor for eight years in the 1980s, an active Rotarian and mover of interfaith activities.
It was the largest crowd ever gathered for our annual fundraiser, filling the usually spacious Marshall Hall at Bingemans almost to capacity. The guests spilled out into the hallway to mingle and browse items in the silent auction. There were more patrons and more community tables than ever. As in past years, Centro de Trabajo, led by trombonist Larry Crawford, provided the musical embellishment.
New this year was a multicultural blessing, with Mennonite, Sikh and Jewish representatives presiding. In addition, there was expanded multimedia capacity, generously donated by Edcom Multimedia. Two large screens and a robust audio system meant that everyone was able to clearly take in the proceedings at centre stage.
Guests showed their generosity – and support for The Working Centre and St. John’s Kitchen – as the silent and live auctions were the most successful ever. The live auction included travel packages, sports trips and fine dining – including a dinner hosted by Jim and his wife Marianne. Combined with dinner ticket sales and sponsorships, more than $80,000 was donated that evening.
Long-time MC Neil Aitchison (see sidebar story) said later that even though the room was so packed, it still seemed like an intimate gathering of friends and family. It was also, he pointed out in his humorous way, “the best dinner since the last one.”
Jim was humbled by the recognition and support. As he mentioned during the formal part of the proceedings, he now has a pretty good idea of how many people might attend his funeral …and that his wife Marianne “has a pretty good idea of how many eggs will need to be boiled to make egg salad sandwiches.”
For Heather James from Bell, who delivered greetings from the main sponsor of the evening, it was her first time at the dinner. “I’m amazed at the level of warmth and support shown by the Kitchener-Waterloo community here tonight,” she said afterwards.
The tribute to Jim was done in the format of a dinner table conversation. (The table was courtesy of the Worth A Second Look store.) Friends Judith Jutzi, John Lougheed, John Lynch and Sandra Schiedel shared their thoughts about Jim’s life, vision, community spirit and accomplishments. “I don’t know if Jim intended to be a leader,” Sandra said,” but I believe his strong values led him to become one. Examples abound. Jim has been at many tables, and usually he ends up at the head of the table.”
Jim’s son Dave, framing his introduction in the style of a funeral announcement, outlined the lighter side of Jim’s personality, reminiscing about his dad “using copious amounts of his own saliva to dampen and comb” his sons’ hair, sweeping the gravel driveway at the family cottage and constantly checking obituaries. He also noted Jim’s “tireless” work for many community organizations.
Dave’s brother Mike, an accomplished musician, bookended Jim’s remarks with performances of John McCutcheon’s Calling All the Children Home and John Lennon’s Imagine.
Jim concluded his remarks by asking guests to take up the challenge of working together and developing respect and understanding. “Imagine how you can expand your own table – what can you do and who can you connect with in the days and weeks ahead that will make this a more inclusive and caring community, and eventually a world at peace. How can we make everyone feel welcome? And so I leave you with this question – how big can you make your kitchen table?”
