CORNER BROOK — Renowned as the voice of reason, whether during his days on Steady Brook town council or in his personal life, Al Best has died. Mr. Best died early Tuesday morning after a battle with cancer. He was 62. An active member of his community from the time he and his wife Peggy moved to Steady Brook in 1967, Mr. Best was elected deputy mayor in 1989 and served as a councillor until 1996. Don Thistle spent a total of 35 years on council, but said the most proficient council he ever worked with was the one which included Al Best. “We (town council) would argue and row all night long and Al wouldn’t say very much, but then all of a sudden he would pipe up with the answer to everything,” Thistle said. “He could size the whole situation up and, in very few words, say ‘this is what we should do’ and that’s what we did. He could always come up with the right answer and we always respected his decision ...He saved us more time because he was able to come up with the quick solution.” Mr. Best, who moved to Corner Brook in 2005, didn’t mind taking the bull by the horns or putting another council member in their place when needed. He was involved in taking immediate action, despite advice to the contrary and subsequent threats of legal action by the provincial government’s municipal affairs department, to use heavy equipment to prevent an ice jam from flooding the town at one point during his time on council. As usual, his plan worked and the flooding was averted. Mr. Best’s community involvement also included serving as a volunteer firefighter and many years as president of the Steady Brook Lions Club. He was also a businessman, co-owning Gerry’s Best furniture store in Corner Brook with his brother Gerry and spent the last 13 years as an accounts manager for local radio with the Humber Valley Broadcasting Corporation and later Steele Communications. “Al was the guy that brought the team together — he was an advice machine,” said Mike Murphy, Steele Communications’ general manager in Corner Brook. “When the chips were down and everyone needed encouragement, Al always found the optimistic side of everything. His famous line was ‘it will all work itself out, babe’ and once he said that, you forgot about whatever was wrong.” Mr. Best’s political ambition went beyond the municipality. A staunch Liberal, he was instrumental in all six of current Liberal Commons’ member Gerry Byrne’s successful campaigns since 1996. During those efforts, he served as Byrne’s chief financial officer, campaign manager or as the riding association president in Humber-St. Barbe-Baie Verte. Like the town councils he served on and his co-workers, Byrne too always heeded Mr. Best’s sage advice, even if it seemed to come across as light-hearted. “I never understood until yesterday why I could never get Al to take what I thought seriously,” said Byrne, who visited Mr. Best Monday afternoon. “He did take things seriously. It’s just that it was always wrapped in fun and good spirits.” Mr. Best leaves to mourn his wife Peggy, son Steven, daughter Nicole and their families. Visitation will take pace at Country Haven Funeral Home in Corner Brook from 2-4 p.m. and 7-9 p.m. Thursday and from 10 a.m. to 12 p.m. Friday. The funeral service, which will be handled by Parsons Funeral Home and Chapel based in Deer Lake, will be held at the First United Church on Park Street in Corner Brook at 2 p.m. Friday with interment to follow at Mount Patricia Cemetery.