Conference Room No. 6 was packed with family and friends of longtime residents Ron and Nancy Edinger on Wednesday evening for the renaming of the meeting place, which he spent countless hours in.

“This is an emotional moment for me — it's very special. Ron was a really wonderful person, a wonderful man, kind, caring,” Nancy said. “Ron loved this city, cared about all the people in it, and was very involved in many things. He probably spent a lot of time in this room.”

There are six conference rooms at City Hall.

"I never get them straight, so I thought a great way to do it, was to name one of them after Ron Edinger because of all his service to the city and our community, which is vast,” Mayor Dan Gookin said.

He asked Nancy and her daughters to come near the doorway of the room and unveiled a plaque with Ron’s picture that was hanging on the wall.

“We hereby dedicate this the Ron Edinger Room, honoring him for his 50 years of distinguished service to the city of Coeur d’Alene,” Gookin said. 

Edinger served as a council member from 1968 to 1974, as mayor from 1974 to 1978 and then again as a council member from 1980 to 2020.

He died Nov. 17, 2021. He was 85.

"He represented what I thought was the true spirit of Coeur d’Alene," Gookin said.

He said Edinger was a blue-collar guy, an everyday guy and not a politician.

“We’ve loved Ron for many years,” Gookin said. “I hope this will help sustain his memory here in City Hall for generations to come.”

Nancy said she was honored and proud to have the conference room renamed after Ron.

“He loved the city of Coeur d'Alene and all the people in it, and whatever he did, he tried to do what he thought was best even if he sometimes didn't agree with others,” Nancy said. “He valued all the city employees, and I can tell you that many times he talked about them and how they make this city work.”

    Nancy Edinger and her daughters at the renaming of Conference Room No. 6