Born in a farmhouse north of Harrowsmith, Ontario on July 9, 1930, the son of Castle Anderson Quinn and Helen Florence Kerr, Harold attended Slack’s P.S. and Sydenham H.S. followed by Queen’s University, in Kingston. He graduated from Queen’s with a BSc in Engineering Chemistry in 1953, and an MSc in Physical Chemistry in 1954. Harold then obtained his PhD in Physical Chemistry from the University of Toronto in 1956. While in Kingston, Harold met the love of his life and soulmate, Marilyn Joan Blimke of Chalk River, and they were married in 1956. Harold and Marilyn had a rich and fulfilling life together with their three sons, and they were inseparable for 66 years, until Marilyn’s passing in 2023. Harold is survived by his three sons: Bruce (Eunice Onuki), (ex. Bette Anne McKay of Barry’s Bay), of Burke’s Falls, Brian (Janice Peet) of Surrey, BC and Dale (Jennifer Boyd) of Campbellville, ON, six grandchildren: Robert (Lisa), James (Colleen), Grayden (Karlee), Jessica, Mason and Jacob, and six great grandchildren: Carter, Adam, Castle, Lauren. Hayley and Kassyna, all of whom he loved dearly and in whose accomplishments he rejoiced. He is also remembered by several cousins, sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law and many nieces and nephews.
In 1956, Harold joined Dow Chemical Canada Inc., where over the next 32 years he accepted progressive responsibilities in the areas of research, research management, manufacturing management and corporate environmental affairs. Harold’s career at Dow took him from Sarnia to Toronto to Delta, BC., and then back to Sarnia. After retirement in 1988, he and Marilyn moved to Kingston, to be closer to his mother, and he founded H.W. Quinn Associates, an environmental affairs consulting firm, which he operated until 1996. Then in 2010, they moved to a home in Guelph, in The Village by the Arboretum, and in 2019 he moved to The Village of Arbour Trails retirement home. Since coming to Guelph, Harold had continued to expand his extensive network of friends, and he revelled in opportunities to join and lead social, discussion and educational activity groups, and to participate in community activities and celebrations.
In 2003, Harold became a 50-year member of the Chemical Institute of Canada (CIC). He was active in the Sarnia Section and at the national level of the CIC for many years, and in 1969 was awarded a fellowship. From 1975 to 1978, he was a member of the National Research Council, and from 1985 to 1988, a member of the Environmental Quality Committee of the Canadian Chemical Producers’ Association. During his working career, he was also a member of the Association of the Chemical Profession of Ontario and the Air and Waste Management Association. From 1974 to 1986, he was a member of the Queen’s University Council.
Harold was a lifetime member of the United Church of Canada, and he was an active member of United Church congregations in Sarnia, Thornhill, Tsawwassen, B.C., Glenburnie and Guelph. While living in Kingston, he was a member of the Kingston Presbytery, acting as its treasurer for seven years, and he was involved with activities at Queen’s Theological College. During that period, he was an enthusiastic canvasser for the Canadian Cancer Society and the Ontario Heart and Stroke Foundation. He was an avid reader and amateur photographer, and he enjoyed gardening, curling, stamp collecting, golf and playing bridge, with his many friends. Finally, Harold was a quiet philanthropist, founding The Quinn Family Foundation to support local and national charities associated with healthcare, healthcare research, community social assistance, and the arts.
Harold’s family wishes to thank the professionals from Ontario Health and from the Village of Arbour Trails for their compassionate and loving care during the last years and months of his life. It was also Harold’s wish to thank the wonderful residents of Arbour Trails whose friendship contributed so much to his quality of life.
A visitation for the celebration of Harold’s life will start at 1:00 PM with services to be held at 2:00 PM with a reception to follow on October 24, 2026, at The Village of Arbour trails. The remains of Harold and Marilyn will be interred, together, at the Quinn Family plot in the Harrowsmith Cemetery, at a family ceremony.
