Hundreds gather for funeral for Nightcliff Friendly Grocer owner Linford Feick following alleged murder
The Nightcliff Friendly Grocer is remembered as the corner shop that love built, its packed aisles and fresh produce representing Linford Feick’s devotion to his family and community. See the moving tribute to his life here.
The Nightcliff Friendly Grocer is remembered as the corner shop that love built, its packed aisles and fresh produce representing Linford Feick’s devotion to his family and community.
Fifteen days after the 71-year-old’s death, 200 mourners gathered at the Resthaven Chapel on Wednesday to pay their respects to the local business owner, father and grandfather.
Linford was allegedly stabbed by 18-year-old Phillip Randel Maurice Parry after confronting him over a handful of stolen groceries on Wednesday evening April 23.
Despite attempts to save him, Linford died in the same store he spent decades establishing.
The shock and grief of the tragedy meant emotions sometimes spilt into anger and despair during his funeral service, but each time his friends and family turned to a single word: “Love”.
It was Linford’s love for his family, their future and the community he built in Nightcliff that defined his adult life.
Leaving a life in the snow in Ontario, the Canadian man set his family up in Darwin where his best chance of cooling down was in the frosty fridges of his beloved supermarket.
Unsurprisingly many people’s most vivid memories of Linford were in this shop, where they joked the small business owner could spent up to 110 hours a week.
Loved ones said Linford’s corner store was a place where staff became family — and as his children recounted — family often became staff working to stock shelves and drive forklifts.
Linford was remembered by mourners as a man of many layers — shy and yet able to talk for hours straight; stoic yet loving; peaceful but eager to blast his music so loudly his kids threatened to call in a noise complaint.
The community shared stories of the man who never lost his groovy 70s style-beard, who would quote Seinfeld and Monty Python at the drop of a hat, and as a talented golfer and a shockingly average eight-ball player.
Ditching the traditional funeral blacks, many mourners wore their work shirts to honour their fellow local business owner, with food and beverage suppliers, logistics companies and community groups’ logos dotted through the crowd.
This was a sign of Linford’s power to turn anyone who walked into his store into a friend, with suppliers sharing how a conversation about stock lists could easily turn into a 12-hour yarn over beers.
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IN PICTURES: Linford Feick funeral service
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Originally published as Hundreds gather for funeral for Nightcliff Friendly Grocer owner Linford Feick following alleged murder
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