Jesse Miller is being remembered as a well-respected young man who excelled in sports and made friends easily.
“If I had to use one word to describe him it would be ‘respectful',” said Ashmont Secondary School principal Ken Gerlinsky, talking about Miller, 21, whose violent death has left residents of the Village of Glendon in shock.
Miller was killed following a violent incident at the Glendon Hotel in the early morning hours last Wednesday.
“He was a kind-hearted, mentally and physically strong young man who was a great ambassador for this school and community and a role model for this school,” said Gerlinsky of Miller, who graduated from the school in 2008.
His death is hard to absorb, he said.
“It's very disturbing and a true tragedy,” he said. “Jesse was so well-respected by the students and staff here. He was easy going and exercised extreme patience when dealing with teammates, fellow students and staff. It's a big loss.”
A woman who worked in a downtown Glendon store regularly frequented by Miller echoed the same kind words.
“He was in here on a regular basis and was always extremely friendly and nice,” said the woman, who like several others contacted by the Nouvelle, did not want their name used because “everyone knows everyone around here.”
“Everyone in town is very upset at what's happened. We don't know all the details of what took place, but this should never have happened to such a nice young man. It's so tragic to have a young life like that end the way it did. He always had a smile on his face when he came in here and I'm going to miss him a lot.”
The deceased came from a large, well-respected family, she said.
“The Millers are a very well-known family around here and very well-respected,” she said. “You couldn't ask for a nicer family than the Millers. I can't imagine what they're going through right now. This is just heartbreaking.”
Village of Glendon Mayor Larry Lofstrand said everyone in the small town is upset by what has taken place.
“It's devastating that something like this actually happened in our little village,” he said. “I don't know a lot of the details, but the fact is a young man was killed and it's just devastating.”
Lofstrand said he has lived in Glendon for most of his life and can't recall another homicide in the village's history.
“This should not have happened,” he said. “A young life has been snuffed out for no reason at all. You never think something like this is going to happen this close to home, but it has and it's very distressing for a lot of people around here.”
The increase in violence in Alberta is disturbing, said Lofstrand.
“It's happening all over the place,” he said. “You don't go a day now without reading about something terrible happening in Edmonton. Things have changed a lot the last few years and it's not for the better. There has to be a better way to resolve a dispute than turning to violence.
“A young life has been wiped out for no reason at all. It's very sad.”
