Harold Robert Davies

Harold Robert Davies was a modest and trustworthy man who was traditional in his approach to his life and in his relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of “stick to it” attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. He was realistic about life and always ready and willing to take on responsibilities.

Harold was born on May 20, 1920 at his family residence on Laird Street, in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. His parents were Reginald Walter Davies and Annie Elizabeth Bailey (Dolly). Harold was raised and resided most of his life in Sault Ste. Marie. He was brought up to be self-reliant and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Harold was raised with eight siblings. He had five brothers: Fred, George, Vern, Reginald, John, and three sisters: Rebecca (Beck), Gwen, Mary (Glad). Growing up in the Davies’ household was a bit different than most homes. They had a strict upbringing where their philosophy was that children were to be seen but not heard and you did not spare the rod and spoil the child. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. They had two or three cows at home that they milked twice a day. The kids had the chore of cleaning the barn and delivering the milk to the wealthy people who lived on the brow of Pim Hill. They had a large garden and, for some years, a flock of chickens. Harold was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared. Harold and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up, but he was consistently loyal to his family.

While in high school, Harold enjoyed some courses more than others. One of his favourite subjects was mathematics. He showed a strong interest in aspiring to a career in accounting but, being the committed family man that he was, he went in search of employment after completing Second Form in order to support his family. His first job was at a telegraph office where he delivered telegrams on his bicycle. His next job was working at National Grocers before enlisting in the Army.

Harold began service in the Army on July 11, 1941. He served in the Communication and Information division as a Royal Canadian signalman for the 5th Division. He spent his first year in Canada. Then his tour of service took him to many countries: England in 1942, Africa and Italy in 1943, France in 1944, Belgium in 1944/45, and Holland in 1945 where he escorted German prisoners back to Germany. He then returned to England and was shipped home to Canada where he was honourably discharged.

On December 11, 1945, Harold Robert Davies exchanged wedding vows with Joyce Beatrice Donnelly at the John Street United Church of Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario. Compassionate and devoted to Joyce, he held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment.

Harold brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. Harold was blessed with three children: one son, James Robert, and two daughters: Lianne Joyce and Sandra Ellen. He was also blessed with five grandchildren: Thomas, Michael, Sandra, Brian, and Alexander.

Harold valued his time with his family and friends. The dinner table became a popular place for celebrations and making fond memories. It was an English tradition for Joyce to serve a roast beef dinner with all the fixings every Sunday. Harold would pace the floor, sharpening the butcher knife in preparation of carving the beef. Spaghetti and meatballs, with traditional bibs, became another family favourite. These suppers would sometimes last late into the evening and were usually accompanied by music and song. He had an extensive collection of records that he would play and his guests, including family, friends, or neighbours, would sing along and occasionally dance in the living room. Harold was known to sometimes top the evening off with a Drambuie and a cigar.

Harold’s interest in music was demonstrated by his constant singing in the house. The family frequently heard him singing “Pennies from Heaven” or “Let me call you Sweetheart”. At Christmas, he loved to visit relatives and would greet them with “We Wish You a Merry Christmas”. “A Partridge in a Pear Tree” is the song the kids will always remember being sung in the car as they travelled from one house to another on Christmas Eve.

One of the many hobbies that Harold enjoyed was baking for his family. Sticky buns were his specialty that everyone enjoyed and he generously shared. He would treat his family to homemade fudge but what the kids enjoyed most was eating the fudge with a spoon when the fudge failed to harden. Harold also found a way to get the cream inside the centre of the cream puffs that he would make from scratch. Another special treat was when Harold brought home 5 Dixie cups of ice cream and 5 bottles of red cream soda for making ice cream floats in a very special glass. These were enjoyed while watching Saturday night movies.

Another hobby that Harold enjoyed was tinkering around the house. He became a Jack-of-all-trades and got most of his experience from assisting his friend Oren Beatty when they built a house together on Dacey Road. He renovated the basement to make the family recreation room and built a wall-to-wall desk, complete with drawers on both sides, for Jim’s bedroom. Harold tried his hand at carpentry and built outside lawn chairs for Jim and Sandra, which they still use today. Any house repairs were always tackled by Harold and most times accomplished successfully.

Harold developed a variety of interests and the things he enjoyed doing, he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. He was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information and even purchased a complete set of encyclopaedias called “The Book of Knowledge”. He subscribed to a number of periodicals such as Reader’s Digest, the Condensed Reader’s Digest, Time magazine, The Legionnaire magazine, etc. He even purchased books with the intent of reading all the old classics that he never got a chance to read when he was younger. His reading of choice when he was young was comic books!

Harold enjoyed travelling and planning vacations. One of his biggest adventures was to take his wife to visit the places where he had served during World War II. In the early 60’s, Harold and Joyce flew overseas to Denmark with his brother Reg and his wife Dorrit (her birthplace). From here, Harold took Joyce to England, Paris and France to share memories of his days in the war. Harold also took Joyce on many trips to St. Petersburg, Florida, where special memories were made visiting Reg and Dorrit. Another frequent popular vacation spot where Harold took his family was The Dome, in Marinette, Wisconsin.

Harold found pleasure in sports. In his younger years, he played hockey for the Pim Hill Bullies and in his adult years, he would enjoy an occasional round of golf with his wife, Joyce. After retirement, he developed an interest in cheering on the Toronto Blue Jay’s baseball team from his living room. He would enjoy discussing the team’s statistics and was very familiar with the team’s roster of players. Regardless of their wins and losses, he always looked forward to their next game.

Harold’s father was a gardener by trade, so it was only natural that Harold found pleasure in flower and vegetable gardening. He converted more than half of his backyard into a garden where he grew several varieties of vegetables such as potatoes, tomatoes, onions, radishes, carrots, lettuce, etc. Spending time in the garden was very relaxing to him and it gave him pleasure to share the products of his labour with his family and friends. One of his favourite specialties was growing roses, and it pleased him to pick the flowers and have them throughout the house.

The electronic age did not pass by Harold. He continued his interest in learning after retirement and was determined to learn how to use the computer. He purchased a desktop computer and then took lessons to learn how to use email, look up his lottery ticket numbers, skype, and search other topics of interest. One of his latest enjoyments was sharing crossword puzzles with his wife at the dining room table over their morning coffee. He frequently looked up words for Joyce in their dog-eared dictionary.

Always considered to be a solid friend, Harold was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Harold to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice. While growing up, some of his best friends were Malcolm Hamilton, Bud Weeks and Terry Corbett. As an adult, he formed lifelong friendships with Don and Jo Leask, Jack and Joan Shuttleworth, Oren and Vi Beatty, Bill (Sully) and Isabel Sullivan, Don and Lois Jeffrey, Hy and Betty Ross, Guido and Marg Marinelli, George and Lila Culverwell, and Roy and Brenda Koivisto. Harold loved to entertain and always had an open door for his many friends and relatives. As a Legion member for 45 years, he also enjoyed meeting his friends at the Legion to socialize and have an afternoon beer.

Harold greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations, as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Harold was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. After his discharge from the Army, Harold’s brother Vern was able to get him employment at a company in Kirkland Lake stringing wires. He eventually got hired as a linesman with Bell Canada in 1947 and eventually moved back to the Soo. During his long career with the Bell, he had a few different positions. He worked for two years in Toronto as a Safe Driving Instructor and in North Bay as a manager. Harold took his wife on the road for one year when Bell gave him the responsibility of updating all the payphones in Ontario. This update changed the cost of local calls from payphones from 10 cents to a quarter. Harold was happy to finish his career back in Sault Ste. Marie where he retired.

Harold Robert Davies passed away on January 27, 2014, at the Sault Area Hospital in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario, as a result of a fall at his home on January 23rd. Harold is survived by his wife, Joyce; his children: Jim, Lianne, and Sandra; and his grandchildren: Tom, Mike, Sandra, Brian and Alex. Services were held at Arthur Funeral Home. Harold was laid to rest in Greenwood Cemetery in Sault Ste. Marie, Ontario.

Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Harold Robert Davies. He was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

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DAVIES, Harold Robert – At the Sault Area Hospital on Monday, January 27, 2014 at the age of 93. Beloved husband of Joyce (Donnelly). Dear father of Jim (Brenda), Lianne Masson (Brent) and Sandra Turpin (Rick). Grandfather of Alex Davies, Tom George (Karyn), Michael George (Tara), Sandra George (Jeff Elliott) and his special friend and grandson Brian Turpin (Kylie). Great grandfather of 10. Brother of John (late Nicky) and the late Fred, George, Vern, Reg, Beck, Glad and Gwen. Brother-in-law of Reta Farrell (late Fred), Frank Donnelly (Gloralyn) and Gerry Donnelly (Shirley). Friends may call at the Arthur Funeral Home & Cremation Centre on Thursday, January 30, 2014 from 1 pm until 2:30 pm. Funeral service to be celebrated in the chapel at 3 pm. Rev. Dr. David Zub officiating. Interment Greenwood Cemetery. Memorial contributions to the Canadian Cancer Society or the Algoma Residential Community Hospice (ARCH) would be appreciated by the family. Thank you to Connie, Mavis, Richard Watson, Dr. Chris Bruni and the staff at the Sault Area Hospital. Expressions of sympathy may be offered at www.arthurfuneralhome.com.

At the going down of the sun

And in the morning

We will remember them.

Members of the Royal Canadian Legion are requested to assemble at the Arthur Funeral Home & Cremation Centre on Thursday, January 30, 2014 at 3 pm for a memorial service for the late Harold Davies.