Friends of Alvin and Kathy Liknes gather for memorial

CALGARY – It’s Cherri Hodgins’ first time returning to the Liknes home.

“It’s extremely difficult being here,” says Hodgins, who met Kathy Liknes in junior high.

Kathy, her husband Alvin, and their five year old grandson Nathan O’Brien were the subjects of a massive police search three months ago.

The trio disappeared from their Parkhill home in June. Police now believe they’re victims of a triple homicide.

Their bodies have never been found.

Hodgins has known Kathy since she was a teenager. The pair grew to become best friends.

Hodgins says she spent many days at the Liknes home, including the last day Kathy was seen alive.

“Kathy and Alvin’s home is a very special place… many of us spent almost 30 years here and this is our home away from home.”

Now as she prepares to celebrate Alvin and Kathy’s lives with family and friends, fond memories of the couple come flooding back.

“30 years ago he was working at an oil company and she was working for social services. They met on an elevator one day and became fast friends after that. Alvin was a true gentleman and Kathy looked up to him. She loved spending time with him,” says Hodgins.

Together the pair had a family of six children and thirteen grandchildren.

“The children were the centre of their world everything they did revolved around their children,” adds Hodgins.

Alvin and Kathy put family first, something evident in a video taken on their last day.

“We were doing the garage sale and two of the grandchildren came over. Alvin very quickly closed the doors to the garage. It was more important for him to go play in the playground than do the garage sale and that’s who Alvin was with the grandchildren… When those grand-babies came over the both of them just lit up.”

Fundraising efforts continue for the family of Alvin and Kathy.

Donations can be made to the O’Brien/Liknes trust fund at any CIBC branch in Canada.