Mr Hugh James Cummings

A long, long time ago in the tiny town of Whycogomah, in the beautiful isle of Cape Breton, a little boy was born. Who knew that one day he would grow to become a man who would touch the lives of so many and forever leave his imprint of joy, laughter and love of life.

So who was this Hugh James? Anyone who knew him in his younger days always said that he was a jokester. That explains why we, as his family, always said that “he didn’t have a serious bone in his body”. We loved to sit and talk with him about his days as a young man because the stories were silly, funny and absolutely hilarious. Sometimes the stories were almost unbelievable. Did these things really happen? Like when at the age of sixteen, in high school, he’s chasing the teacher around the classroom. It’s important to note that the teacher was only eighteen years old herself! He did catch her; he did put her over his knee and spank her. Another day he chased her and gave her a kiss. Oh, how could she resist his charm; or any other woman for that matter. They were helpless. But in just a few years’ times, he was to meet the woman of his dreams; the woman who hold his heart in her’s, for the rest of his life.

The father of little girls will be the most important man in her life; that is until she meets her life partner. And as is in the lives’ of this man’s daughters, they are mighty big shoes to fill.

Dad wasn’t your typical father; at least I, Sheree, have never believed so. Yes, there are many great and wonderful fathers out there, but when it’s good, we believe that we truly have the best. The funny thing about life is that we don’t always realize the good until we are much older. But buried deep inside each one of us is the expectation of something really good; no, perfection. In a little girl’s eyes; her father. Because as we young girls grew to becoming young women, we saw the passion, the love, and the devotion that our father showered on our mother. Of course there were rough patches. What relationship is without. But when they did argue or disagree, the standing joke among my mother’s sisters and their husbands that even while arguing Mom and Dad still referred to each other as “honey, sweetheart and dear”. That’s true.

Shelly and I shared a big double bed when we were little girls. Many a night he lay between the two of us singing us to sleep. Singing songs like “99 bottles of beer on the wall”, or “Once I was married and had a sweet wife”. Mom would get after him for singing those kinds of songs, but Shelly and I didn’t catch the themes. Looking back it was us,dad and the cat Smokey (or Wooly Bum as dad sometimes referred to him) curled up on the bed.

He must have calmed down after Shelly and I were born (or just resigned himself to the fact that he just wasn’t going to have boys), because Laverne was quite the little tomboy. No, there wasn’t going to be frilly little dresses and bows in the hair; she was going to know how to climb trees, scale fences and punch like a boy. When she started school, mom actually had to go in and talk to the teachers because Laverne was just a little too rough for schoolyard play. Dad again!

When Dad first joined the military was away training, he went AWOL because he missed Mom and Laverne so much. Two days later the MP’s were at the door hauling him back to base. Another time, many years later while working with the oil rigs, once again he went AWOL. The ship was in the United States, it was Boxing Day and he just knew that the only place he should be was home with his girls!

Laverne was the first to marry and leave home. That was hard on all of us. As sisters we grew up close to each other. Sure, we fought, but Laverne was always there for us – big sister. When she was in grade 9, a local boy was rather unkind to Shelly; so Laverne took care of him!

Oh, there are so many stories, so many memories. Like when Shelly had the first boy in the family –finally! Or when I married and immediately moved to Newfoundland and Dad sat in the bedroom all day by himself crying. Or the great conversations about politics and everything that Laverne would engage with him. Oh how he loved a great conversation. He cried when she too left home.

I remember when he unintentionally discovered Laverne and Brian somewhere they shouldn’t be. He had a conversation with Brian. Or when Mahfouz brought me home one night very, very late, they had a conversation. And Shelly introduced Robert to Dad under unfavorable conditions – he brought her home at 5: in the morning. Bad move. Or when Wendy and I, as teenagers, were out rather late one school night and enjoying some spirits with a couple of male chums, Dad had a conversation.

And you know, it wasn’t just us girls that he loved and cared for. We all had a friend or two who had problems at home. Coming to our door meant they didn’t have to go any further, they were welcomed to join Betty and Hughie and the girls – Judy, Paulette, Wendy, Arden, Jeannie, I’m seeing a trend.

The year Laverne and Brian married and moved to Quebec, Dad took Shelly, Wendy and me on a train ride to visit to them. Just what Brian needed – the responsibility of 3 teenage girls and he’s a newlywed. With Dad at our side – yes we had a lot of fun. He was there for a week, but we stayed for seven instead of the planned three. I’m surprised Brian actually went on to have children.

Early on he developed a passion for cooking. And boy could he cook! He took such pride in his creations. Sundays at our home were always filled with family and food. He was usually in hot water with the brass that if you were going to prepare a meal, do it right. That usually meant over budget. Oh well, the men ate well and they enjoyed it.

One of his last major functions was the banquet held for the prime minister while he was visiting Halifax. Oh, he was so proud.

And when we talk of people taking care of others, we can’t forget Shelly and the fact that she has been here all these years giving her endless support and love to Mom and Dad. And in the last few weeks of his life, his grandson Terry was there every moment. We know that God put him there. And on his last night, I slept in his room so he wouldn’t be alone when he took his turn and knew when it was time for the family to come.

I could go on forever talking about this wonderful man, our Father. And we can’t forget his close relationship with God. His belief and connection was so deep. Sure, he could tell an off-color joke; who doesn’t? But he lived his life as a good man, he never hurt anyone. He loved animals – how many cats did we have over the years? He even took them in. We look back over the years and all the memories. Who was Hugh Cummings? He was our hero!