Cyril Harold Burnell

Cyril was born in 1933 in Devon, England, an only child, and during his childhood, he spent a lot of time playing soccer and cricket, chess, darts, and on his bike exploring the Devon countryside and its wildlife. During this time he began to experience moments which caused him to wonder about man's life and place in the scheme of things. That search for understanding became central to him for the rest of his life.

At 17 he went to London to study and work in architecture. During his early years there he went home to Devon most weekends, on his motorcycle, with a lunch which he always ate in the middle of the stone circle at Stonehenge.

In 1960/61, in London, he met and married me, Ethelda (Brown), a Haligonian recently graduated from Dalhousie University eager to widen my horizons in Europe and London for a year. The year became 11 years and I was fortunate enough to accompany Cyril through the rest of his journey through life with my horizons being widened at every turn in the road. Cyril and I spent the 60's in Swinging London. It was the era of the Beatles, mini skirts, Carnaby Street, kitchen sink theatre, lively musicals, and jazz clubs. During this period he studied, practiced and taught architecture, all with the joy and feeling of freedom that most young people living in London experienced at that time. And of course he continued to seek out like minded people some of whom introduced him to the ideas of G.I. Gurdjieff and he had now found his spiritual home.

In 1971 we moved to my home town, Halifax, where he stopped practicing architecture and instead worked in a small family business while continuing to pursue his love of painting. We bought our home in Cole Harbour in 1975 and almost immediately Cyril was active with the Cole Harbour Heritage Society helping to ensure that the Harbour remained a salt marsh and was not overwhelmed by housing development. By the end of the 70's he realized that he wasn't going to be able to be comfortably walking for many more years because of knee injuries sustained while playing soccer in his youth. So it was time to do some of the things most people do in retirement.

During the 80's we spent the winters in New York where Cyril painted with friends, took painting classes, explored museums, art galleries, painting exhibitions, and spent much time with many remarkable people who were also interested in the Gurdjieff legacy. The spring and early summer were spent in England and Europe doing much the same things but also spending time with his ageing parents. The summer and fall involved taking a breather, and catching up on things in Halifax and with our Brown family there.

In the 90's after his father's death he spent most of his time in Halifax gardening and landscaping at our home in Cole Harbour, in Devon with his mother, and looking after her garden. And finally in 2002 he required his first knee replacement followed by a second and then his own journey with his health began.

Cyril was a very gentle, quiet man with many interests in addition to art and architecture. He loved to listen to music especially early jazz, classical guitar, Bach, and the Beatles, was an avid reader, sketcher, and observer of birds and wild life. He thoroughly enjoyed, with the help of high school students, turning the gravel pit with a house about which he said "at least they put the windows in the right place" into a lovely natural park like oasis with a view of Cole Harbour. Throughout his life he liked to be with and work with young people and he said that he learned much more from them than he could give in return. He understood and practiced the art of listening and although he said little, what he said was on the mark, and came from his heart and experience.

Cyril's parents were both from closely knit Devon families of 12 so he had at least 22 Aunts and uncles, and many cousins. We visited them at least once every year and they became my family too. For Cyril, some of his cousins were more like siblings. His family was amazingly supportive during his parents final years. My family, is also a very close supportive one. And, like many if not most, Nova Scotians, everyone comes home more than once a year. So Cyril knew and loved them all and, right to the end, wanted to know how they were and what they were doing.

Cyril was pre deceased by his parents Harold and Doris (Spurway) Burnell, his parents-in-law Roy and Effie Brown, and his sister-in-law, Sheila (Brown) Hayes. He is survived by his wife Ethelda (Brown) Burnell, brother-in-law Maynard Brown and his wife Deborah, his brother-in-law Mike Hayes, his niece Susan Hayes-Groll and her husband Bruce Groll, his nephew Creg Hayes and his wife Brenda and children Maggie and Jesse, his nephew Andrew Brown and his wife Teresa and children Kaya and Sana, his nephew Michael Brown and his wife Holly and children Arlo and Remy, and his god-daughter Lydia Mason.

Cyril died peacefully on November 10, 2023 surrounded by his family and wonderful care givers.

We, his family, would like to give heartfelt thanks to Dr. Ernest Johnson who has been Cyril's attentive doctor for more than 50 years. Cyril had many wonderful people who helped and cheered him during his long illness - caregivers, physiotherapists, doctors, nurses, paramedics, neighbours, and friends - some of whom by now are part of his family. You all know who you are and you will be in our hearts and memories for life.

We have not planned a memorial event for Cyril for the immediate future but we do plan to have one next spring or summer at his home in Cole Harbour. Hopefully it will be outdoors an a sunny Saturday afternoon.