Harold Bloomfield Grover
1926-2018
Harold Bloomfield
Grover died peacefully at the Valley Regional Hospital in Kentville,
Nova Scotia, January 15, 2018. He was born in Lakeville,
Kings County, NS, March 25, 1926. He was the first-born son of Percy
Matthew Grover of Cross Country Harbour, Guysborough County, NS and
Nell Ruth Morton, descendant of the New England Planters, Lakeville,
Kings County, NS. He was predeceased by his wife of 70 years, Freda
Levene (Porter), November 6, 2015. He is survived by his five
children: Patricia Phyllis Grover Dix, Greenwich, NS; Theresa (Terry)
Ann (Brian) Burley, Truro, NS and Florida; James (Jamie) Beverly
(Jane), Lakeville, Kings Co., NS; Russell Alan (Heidi), Hamilton, ON;
Richard Douglas, Billtown, Kings Co., NS; his eight grand-children:
Angela (Drew) Pallett; Stephen (Elinor); Sarah; Michael (Karolyn);
Kristina (Andrew); Shawn; Travis; his nine great-grandchildren: Jacob,
Jordan Lively; Cameron, twins Alex and Thomas; Kelsey Grover-Murray;
Ryan Millett; Madysin, Aubrey. He is survived by his older sister,
Emily Bigelow and younger sister, Shirley Stewart, and by his
sister-in-law, Carol (Taylor) Grover; and, by his brother-in-law and
sister-in-law, Leander and Glenne (Stone) Porter; brother-in-law,
Harry MacIntosh. He is also predeceased by two younger
brothers, Morton and Downey Grover; by sisters-in-law, Mary (Ewing)
Grover and Ulrica (Porter) MacIntosh; by brothers-in-law, Laurence
Bigelow, Russell Stewart, LeRoy Porter; by brothers-in-law and
sisters-in-law, Joe and Etta (Porter) Dempsey; Cecil and Esther
(Porter) Sanford; Leonard and Norma (Donovan) Porter; Harry and Tiny
(Wood) Porter; Jack and Flo (Porter) Bowser; and 1 half brother-in-law
and sister-in-law Luther and Leona Phinney, and three half
sisters-in-law Irene (Phinney) Porter, Rita Phinney and Vera Phinney.
He enlisted in WWII February 1944 at age 17 and was mustered out
August 1945. He married November 10, 1945; then apprenticed with
Patterson’s Electric and Slack’s Electric as an
electrician. Instead of taking a musical singing and playing
lifestyle career as was offered to him in the late 1940s/early 1950s,
he started his own business and went on his own at about the age of 26
and gave electrical, heating and plumbing services to thousands of
residential and commercial customers over a 40-year period here in the
Annapolis Valley, apprenticing his youngest son, Richard, who now
continues the family business. He also closed down his
business for 3 months every year for over 25 years, to go to
Caribou/Pictou to fish lobster, first with his father, then on his
own, setting 600 traps a season with his little Cape
Islander. When he was asked to relinquish his seasonal
lobster licence by the government at the age of 52, he took up golf
all the while being told he would never be any good at golf as the
pulling of electrical wire and hauling of lobster traps developed the
wrong muscles for golf. At age 78, the provincial Chronicle Herald
newspaper published a full page spread because he had consistently
golfed his age that year. At age 91, he golfed 18 holes three times a
week – also golfing his age and below in the high 80s
several times. In the early 1950s he built his own 1 ½
storey 4-bedroom house, doing all the work himself. At age
84, he built an additional 14×16’ bedroom on the house so
Mom would not have to climb the stairs for sleeping. The municipal
inspector said it was the best work he had seen. For the last many
years, he planted two large vegetable gardens, making several dozen
quarts of relish and pickles, blanching beans and freezing them,
storing his squash and potatoes and onions and giving them away
through the winter to neighbours and family members. He loved
snowmobiling, being in the woods, hunting, going for walks in nature
and his own solitude. He was an especially gifted problem-solver and
did not see why he could not learn how to do anything he set his mind
to. He was good at math, a natural musician with perfect pitch, superb
bridge player, doing the daily crossword puzzle, cryptogram and sudoku
right up until the morning of his massive stroke. He could
repair, recycle, repurpose almost anything. He travelled all over the
world although he remained rooted to the land and was really a home
body where he was most at peace – as he is now. As he would
say, “So be it.” He is so sadly missed. A special
thank you to the VRH staff for kindnesses and grace provided during
all the steps of his passing. Thank you, as well, to White’s
Funeral Home. There will be a celebration of life later on in the
summer.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Harold Bloomfield Grover 19262018.source
Death notice for the town of: Kentville, Province: Nova Scotia