Browse the obituary of residing in the province of Nova Scotia for funeral details
Joseph “Larry” Vacon
July 25, 1947 – June 21, 2024
As dawn brightened the first day of summer, Joseph Larry Vacon surrendered into the light of another realm. With his daughter and his beloved Tiger the cat at his side in the home his hands built in his Acadian ancestral community, Larry gracefully and without fear leaned into the transition brought about by lung cancer. Larry was born in Salmon River, Digby County to Emily Vacon (later Deveau). From his earliest days, Larry lived his connection to the land and sea, learning to care for flora and fauna as they cared for him. A bright student, Larry’s formal education was cut short after a cycling accident at age nine brought permanent physical challenges. He went on to mobilize his intelligence and creativity in building, repairing, hunting, fishing, gardening, trapping, and creating – including a whimsical folk-art style that often brought in things from the ocean to create joyous collages and characters. Larry shared his love and ease with music, creating comforting gifts of country and Acadian music on the accordion, guitar, mandolin, harmonica, organ, and in song. As a young man, Larry did a stint in Southern Ontario picking tobacco and picking up other work in Toronto, but he couldn’t settle himself in those places and soon made his way back to Southwestern Nova Scotia, never leaving again. In Clare and Yarmouth, Larry worked briefly in the lobster fishery before making a career aboard large scallop draggers. Miles out on the ocean, he witnessed the hand of God and saw UFOs. He learned to sleep for brief periods, create meals on a (miserly captain’s) tiny food allowance, navigate all sorts of difficult waters, and push his own mind and body to extremes that sometimes brought excruciating pain and remarkable strength of both body and mind. In one near fatal incident, the massive machinery of the scallop drag swung around unexpectedly, pinning Larry to the deck while the ship was far from shore. Larry’s hip was broken, but his spirit never was and it continued to bring him back to the salt water. In the mid 1970s, Larry married Lorraine Trahan of Yarmouth. The pair had one daughter, Charlene Vacon, and separated after a decade living first in Salmon River and then in central Yarmouth. Larry then settled for the rest of his life in East Pubnico where he found companionship in Frances Montgomerie, home in the forests, fields, and waterways, and community among other descendants of Baron Philippe Mius-d’Entremont. Larry is remembered as a kind, gentle strong man who was exceptionally slow to anger. A shy, quiet disposition and a life lived at the margins hid a voracious desire for storytelling – a pastime he called “yarning” – and a tremendous enjoyment in the company of friends and family. Larry delivered hitchhikers to their homes even when it was out of his way. He gave away the pickles he made from his garden cukes, the fish he caught, and rabbits he snared. He. watched deer for hours simply for the delight. He enjoyed picking berries and bingo. An excellent cook and baker, Larry had an insatiable appetite for chocolate, kayak roe, date squares, pollock, bananas, lobster, and wild strawberries. He laughed out loud at the Muppets, Shrek and the Minions, and watched Westerns. He went to the wharf just to see what was happening. He never left home without a hat on. He took in strays – people, animals and plants – who were in a bad way. That’s how Tiger the abandoned kitten came to him and how Larry uncovered the beloved apple trees growing wild on his property that he tenderly tended for decades. The day before Larry’s circle of life came around, he laid for hours in the loving shade of his favourite apple tree. And, on the very day that Larry’s circle closed, Tiger the cat somehow found his way to its embrace to be with his best friend forever. Those Larry leaves to continue include his daughter Charlene Vacon (Rob MacIsaac), grandson Angus MacIsaac-Vacon, brothers Stan (Beth) and Randy Deveau and their families, and so many of the best friends a person can gather around themselves. In his life, Larry witnessed the circles closing for his cherished mother Emily Deveau (“Millie Vacon”) and dear step-father Daley Deveau, his first grandson Archie MacIsaac-Vacon, step-son Jules Dussault, companion Frances, his oldest sister Shirley and a sister he lost in childhood, Jeanette. A man of faith in God and life, Larry wanted his loved ones not to devote ourselves to mourning but to always, even in our grief, focus on the glorious miracle that is the circle of life. At his request, there will be no formal funeral services. Larry will make one final trip to sea for his ashes to mingle with fishes.
Friday June 21st 2024
Death notice for the town of: YARMOUTH, Province: Nova Scotia
death notice Joseph Larry Vacon Friday June 21st 2024
obituaries notice Joseph Larry Vacon Friday June 21st 2024
We offer our deepest sympathies to the family and friends of Joseph Larry Vacon Friday June 21st 2024 and hope that their memory may be a source of comfort during this difficult time. Your thoughts and kind words are greatly appreciated.
