METHUEN — A saying hangs in Beverly Winn's home that reads, "Live in such a way that if anyone should speak badly of you, no one would believe it."
Those words perfectly describe her husband of 41 years, the late Walter "Red" Winn.
"He just did everything so right in every aspect of his life," Beverly Winn said yesterday. "That was Red."
More than 100 people gathered on a crisp fall afternoon yesterday to remember Red Winn, a man who quietly but diligently made Methuen a better place to live. The 65-year-old grandfather died suddenly seven months ago.
The crowd, which included his three sons, granddaughter Sunny, Mayor William Manzi and state Rep. Linda Dean Campbell, gathered in Spiggot Falls Riverwalk Park so they could officially dedicate the new footbridge in his memory.
The dedication "is a tribute to a life well-lived," said Denis Webster-Greene, a fellow historian and close friend of Winn who organized yesterday's ceremony.
Winn, who was born in Lawrence, grew up in Andover and served in the U.S. Navy's Seabees, a construction unit. He was a lover of nature and horticulture who lived in Methuen his entire married life.
Webster-Greene noted that the bridge stretches across the Spicket River, which flows through the heart of Methuen.
"Only Red would be uncomfortable with this," Webster-Greene said, pointing to his friend's humility. "For him, honor alone was better than honor."
Winn was the caretaker of Nevins Memorial Library for more than 20 years. He also made sure the Tenney Gatehouse was well kept and maintained the Methuen Memorial Music Hall.
Winn was also a voluntary poll worker, a member of the Methuen Historical Society and Historic District Commission, and a volunteer with the Festival of Trees.
His funeral, attended by hundreds, was held at the library, the first funeral service ever in the Broadway building.
Winn's family members stood on the footbridge yesterday as he was tearfully remembered as an "integral part of the community."
His role in Methuen was so far-reaching, "It's almost impossible to talk about what he meant to the community," the mayor said. "We had no chance to say goodbye, which makes the pain ever greater. There is nobody that has matched that type of dedication and commitment to the community. Red Winn was one of a kind."
Dean-Campbell noted that Winn's memorial on the footbridge is in a beautiful, serene place where people can go to reflect and relax.
The 52.2-foot-long by 10-foot-wide bridge was installed using $360,000 in state money earmarked for the riverwalk park. Floodwater heavily damaged the park during the Mother's Day storm in 2006.
Beverly Winn thanked Paul and Denis Webster-Greene, who organized yesterday's dedication.
"Their never-stop-until-we-get-it-perfect efforts always come through," she said.
She spoke of Sundays, a day of the week she and her husband always spent quietly together. So it was more than fitting that yesterday, on a Sunday afternoon, the bridge was dedicated to Red, she said.
"He would be so honored and truly flabbergasted," she said.
Members of the North Regional Theatre Workshop, based in Methuen, ended the ceremony by filling the park with song.
They sang a medley that included "From a Distance," "One Moment in Time" and "Wind Beneath My Wings."
