Mourners attend funeral service for shooting victim, Ronald Edberg

Funeral services are being held this evening for Ronald Edberg, one of five people killed by a fired employee at Accent Signage Systems in Minneapolis last week.

Edberg. who died at the age of 58, was described by his family and friends as kind. quiet and talented.

Edberg had worked as a graphic designer at the Minneapolis sign company for more than ten years.

His daughter, Jessica Edberg, said her father didn't say much, but the words he shared were always gentle and often funny.

"He'd be sitting there having a few beers chatting, fishing, and he'd start telling a story and everybody would stop and listen because they knew it was going to be good," Edberg said. "It was going to be really funny. And that's just how he was. People wanted to be around him, they felt good when they were with him."

Cindy Fossum worked with Edberg at Accent Signage ten years ago. She said the company was a demanding place, but Edberg never seemed to let the pressures of the job get to him.

"What I remember from him is just him being calm, a great teacher, and it just, nothing seemed to frazz him," Fossum said. "He just, it was OK, this is how it goes, this is it, and I was just amazed."

Edberg was also a talented artist with a knack for screen printing and painting. More than 30 years after Edberg graduated from North Hennepin Community College, his art teacher, Lance Kiland, remembers him well.

"I can still see his face," Kiland said. He said Edberg was so talented that one of his paintings was purchased by the college to display as part of its permanent collection.

"It's a painting of a robot and it's cut away where you can see this tiny city inside of it and there are these curving staircases climbing all over inside this robot. It's actually really witty and amusing to look at and it's really detailed and it's something that people really have admired."

Above all, say those who knew him, Edberg was a devoted father who cherished the time he spent with his son Dustin and daughter Jessica.

Jessica said she shares her father's reserved manner, but the tragedy has shown her the importance of reaching out to others.

"I'm known for being more stoic. But it's funny, you know, I'm an introvert, and I generally look for quiet, remote places to find comfort," Jessica said. "And this has totally tipped that upside down. I don't know what I'd do without my family."

Edberg, who lived in Brooklyn Center, is also survived by his mother and three siblings. His memorial service will be held at 7 p.m. Tuesday at Methven-Taylor Funeral Home in Anoka.