Obituary
Ronald William Ingram, Neil’s Harbour
A good man has died. Ronald William Ingram, 101 years young, passed away at Highland Manor, Neil’s Harbour on September 5, 2021, close to the house he helped build 75 years ago for his bride.
Ron was a fisherman from the age of 10 to his retirement in his mid 70s. He was the last surviving member of his immediate family and the last of the people who settled in Neil’s Harbour from Grand Bruit, NL. Ron travelled here in 1943 to fish with his uncle and met the love of his life, Bernice Seymour. Their courtship bloomed into a very successful 66-year marriage, and they were happy together in the cozy house they built. He was a proud father, grandfather, and great-grandfather.
Gramp was a person who helped others. His house was a hub of activity right up until he died with family, friends, neighbours, and fishing buddies coming by for a chat. He had lots of interesting stories to share; he escaped death at sea at least once and he also saved others from a watery grave.
My grandfather was not one to preach, but he led by example. He was capable of both incredible toughness and tenderness. He took his widowed father into his home and cared for him until his death at 98. He stayed up at night with sick babies and made breakfasts at 4am for his grandkids before they left his house to return to their lives in Halifax.
He showed us the value of hard work and was an excellent provider. He concerned himself with his community and his church; he was an active member of his volunteer fire department until a year before his death. He believed in the importance of naps! He was a lifelong reader and a lover of cats. He stayed connected with people and never lost interest in them, even after he was left alone and heartbroken when Nan died in 2013.
He never stopped moving and kept a garden and raised chickens well into his nineties (his carrots were so sweet!). He cared about his neighbours and would check in with them after they made a trip to Town. He could be very stubborn, insisting on decorating his house with outdoor Christmas lights long after it was safe for him to do so, causing many a row with Nan. He made the best partridge soup and relished a good ice cream cone!
Ron was never one for sports but he loved to pick berries. If berry picking was an Olympic sport, I am confident he would have been a gold medalist.
Gramp believed that “you only have so much time in this world, and when your number is up, that’s it.” In the end, he was ready to go and join our grandmother. I will always remember him looking out at the sea from his kitchen window where he started every day with a wash and a shave. He was a man who knew that he was lucky; he had everything he wanted from life. “We live in the best place in the world,” he’d say. He will be forever remembered by his family with pride and full hearts.
Ron is survived by his son Ross (Catherine Ann) and daughter Kathy (late Darryl MacKinnon); grandchildren Karla (Trevor), Shannon (Matt), Ronald, Casey (Annette), Christian (Kelly), Corey (Tiffany); great-grandchildren Tessa, Jonah, Emilie, Mathis, Alexia and Noemie; sisters-in-law Joan, Shirley and Trudy and brother-in-law Herbert.
He was predeceased by his wife Bernice (Seymour); parents Victor and Elsie; brothers Clarence (Irene) and Fred; daughter-in-law Ellen and son-in-law Darryl.
A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, September 3, 2022 at 2pm in St. Andrew’s Church, Neil’s Harbour, with Reverend Carolyn Sharp officiating. The burial will follow in St. Andrew’s cemetery. A reception will be held after the service at St. Andrew’s Hall. Masks are required in the church and at the reception. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to St. Andrew’s Church in Neil’s Harbour. Words of comfort may be forwarded to his family at www.jmjobesfuneralhome.com
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Ronald William Ingram May 30 1920 September 5 2021 (age 101)..
Death notice for the town of: Sydney-Mines, Province: Nova Scotia