They filled every seat inside the Fort Langley Community Hall on Glover Road and stood wherever there was room, some lining up along the stairs to hear the service for Harold Hamon, the 57-year-old owner of Hamon’s Towing & Recovery.
The overflow crowd outside couldn’t hear anything, but they stayed anyway.
Before the Sunday memorial, more than 50 tow trucks drove through Langley City, assembling at Hamon’s favorite breakfast spot in the morning before forming a procession.
Some came from as far away as Vernon.
Organizers of the memorial tried and failed to get a parade permit, so they went ahead without one.
As a result, they said, one trucker in the procession got ticketed by the RCMP for blocking traffic when he got stuck in an intersection on a red light.
Hamon’s customized 800-horsepower 1964 Ranchero and bright blue 1980 Chevy short-box pickup were transported to the memorial by two of the tow trucks.
There were about a dozen classic cars in the parade as well.
“It was a great turnout,” said Hamon’s brother Ron.
Two songs were played before and after the pastor spoke. The first was Kenny Chesney’s Shiftwork with its refrain of “Work seven to three/Three to eleven/Eleven to seven” in honor of the hard-working Hamon’s tendency to work long hours.
Then the pastor told stories about the big-hearted tow company owner who would give someone in need a tow even if they were broke, telling them to pay him when they could.
“It wasn’t a sad funeral at all,” Ron Hamon said.
“It was a celebration of Harold’s life.”
Then they finished by playing Vince Gill singing “Go rest high on that mountain/‘Cause, Son, your work on earth is done.”
Hamon’s towing company will keep going despite his passing, run by two of his brothers.
The genial Hamon died after he was injured in a two-vehicle crash on the Langley Bypass on Friday March 11.
His blue Ford F350 pickup was hit by a white Chevrolet panel van on the Langley Bypass east of the 200 Street intersection.
According to police, the van was making an illegal left-hand turn onto the bypass when the collision occurred.
The force of the crash sent the Ford into a ditch, injuring Hamon and his passenger.
Hamon died in hospital while he was waiting for surgery to repair his shattered hip.
Both vehicles were seized for mechanical inspections.
Langley RCMP said charges were being considered.