Born and raised on a dairy farm in Ormstown, QC outside Montreal, Harold was the oldest son of George and Gladys (Beattie) Kilgour. His younger brother, Gordon died in his early 40s. After his dear wife, Carole's death last June, Harold's own health deteriorated rapidly until his passing on March 8th. Hal is survived by son Barry (Edmonda), daughter Janice (Russell) and granddaughter Danielle.
Harold headed for the city after high school, taking sales and advertising courses in Montreal, then landing a job with DeLaval, a worldwide leader in milking equipment. He took the position of Territory Manager for all of New Brunswick, so he and Carole moved to Harvey Station - the dairy capital of NB. After four years with DeLaval, he became Sales Distributor with Babson Bros., inventors of The Surge Milker, a portable milking machine which looked a cross between a teapot and an octopus. Even in his 80s, Harold reminisced fondly about the farmers he had worked with.
Wanting to stay closer to home after years of travelling, Harold formed a construction company, building homes in the Nackawic area. From there, he decided he would rather sell homes than build them and began a very successful 25 year career in real estate, first managing the Royal Trust office in Fredericton, then co-owning and managing Regal Realty.
With Carole, Barry and Janice, they enjoyed many happy summers at the camp on Harvey Lake and later Oromocto Lake, curling and dancing at the rink, cross-country skiing, leisurely rides in the paddleboat, playing horseshoes.
In their mid-sixties, Harold and Carole moved to Vancouver Island where they continued curling (and dancing), took up lawn bowling and enjoyed many musical and cultural events in the Comox Valley. Their strong faith and participation in Presbyterian Church congregations in NB and Quebec continued when they moved to Vancouver Island and became founding members of Comox Valley Presbyterian Church.
Having been initiated in 1954, Harold was a long-time member of Cherry Mountain Lodge, No. 50 F. &A.M. at Harvey Station, NB. In 2004, Trent and Karen MacLean of Harvey presented Harold with his 50 year pin and certificate, during a trip to the West Coast.
Hal & Cal were only blessed with one grandchild - Danielle, who they loved dearly. They were so proud of her accomplishments.
Dachshunds Ruby and Ozzie were an important part of Harold and Carole's daily lives - they treasured those little dogs!
Hal was a natural optimist - it was so deeply ingrained in his thinking that he didn't seem capable of looking at the world through negative eyes. He was an inspiration to many and his joie de vivre and laughter will be sadly missed.
A private family celebration will be held at a later date. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Heart & Stroke Foundation or his church, Comox Valley Presbyterian Church, are much appreciated.
Our sincere thanks to everyone who has been involved with Hal's care over the past few years - your kindness will never be forgotten.