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Newspaper carrier remembered as quiet, caring artist

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A body found in a stream near Windham Street in Simcoe last week has been identified as Robert Ranford.

Police closed the search for the 73-year-old Simcoe resident Monday, one week after remains were located near his last known whereabouts.

For 10 years, Ranford delivered issues of the Wednesday Simcoe Reformer and Lakeshore Shopper to residents downtown. He was last seen on his route July 6. He was reported missing on July 13.

A search then began for Ranford, who was said to be experiencing health issues during his July 6 delivery. A number of residents contacted police after hearing of Ranford’s disappearance.

Ranford’s body was found July 18 during a search by officers with the Norfolk OPP’s Emergency Response Team and Canine Services.

No cause of death was given.

“No foul play is suspected and police are not treating the death as suspicious,” said Norfolk OPP Const. Ed Sanchuk on Monday. “But we do want to take this opportunity to thank all of our residents for the information they provided to the police. We had a lot of people contact us with regards to Mr. Ranford, he was very popular in the community. Our thoughts and prayers are going out to Mr. Ranford’s friends and family at this time.”

Ranford grew up in Toronto alongside his sister Pat. He moved to Simcoe to be closer to her in 1992 after their mother died.

Ranford was an artist who took odd jobs throughout his life, said nephew Kris Lutzi of Simcoe.

“Art was his passion,” Lutzi added.

A quiet man who mostly kept to himself, Ranford enjoyed oil paintings and primarily focused on still life. He was a perfectionist by nature, Lutzi said.

“He’s done presentations at different events and tried to sell some (paintings) off, but a lot of times ... (he felt) ‘if it’s not perfect it’s not perfect enough to sell’ so it didn’t go out.”

Ranford approached his duties as a Reformer carrier the same way. Residents on his route came to rely on getting their paper the same day and time each week.

“Robert Ranford was a long time carrier with a stellar service record,” said Phyllise Gelfand, Postmedia’s vice president of communications. “Our hearts go out to his family and friends for their tragic loss. He will be missed.”

Folks that knew Ranford have flooded social media with positive messages since his disappearance.

“He was a caring, great guy,” Lutzi said. “We’ll miss him and we very much appreciate everybody’s support and are happy to hear that everybody was very friendly with him and liked him.”

Lutzi made a point to recognize all of those who helped locate his uncle and everyone that provided tips along the way.

“I do want to thank the first responders that helped out with searching for him, Norfolk Fire and the OPP for all their time commitment to this as well as the community,” he began. “They’ve been a great help.”

jrobinson@postmedia.com

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