1931 - 2014
It is with great sadness that the family of Harold Whitney Gould announce his passing on December 6, 2014 at the age of 83. He passed away peacefully at Kootenay Lake Hospital in Nelson, BC, with close family at his side, after a lengthy battle with cancer.
Harold was born in Nelson on April 11,1931 to Noble and Tillie Gould, and was raised in nearby Ymir. He married Jeanette (MacDonald) on June 16th, 1956 and the two of them made their home in Nelson. They had many happy years surrounded by friends and loving family. Harold worked most of his life operating heavy equipment on a variety of projects including highway and dam construction. His last 15 working years were spent with the Regional District of Central Kootenay, until retiring at the age of 65. He loved Nelson and the Kootenays and was involved in supporting Nelson Sr. Maple Leafs hockey, particularly the Nelson Booster Club in the ‘60s and ‘70s. He lived life (with Jeanette) as fully as possible: summers boating and fishing at “the lake”, snowmobiling the mountains in winter, huge family Christmases, long weekends away, retirement winters in Arizona, and even took several trips to Asia. He was a great story and joke teller - he could make everyone laugh until their sides hurt. When it came to fixing things and building gadgets, his resourcefulness and creativity seemed endless, designing things and making plans continually in his head as he went along. He never ceased to surprise even those who knew him best and was respected and loved by everyone.
Harold is survived by his wife, Jeanette, son, Jay (Melinda Jong), and their children, Jasmine, Jaimin, and Jordan of Osaka, Japan, daughter, Luree (Mike Roch) and their children, Jayden and Keaton of Nelson, and sister Phylis Ritter (pre-deceased, Wayne), sister in laws Kitty (Karen, Lynnene & Jill), Margie (Vicki, Adele, Corinne, Joanne & Kurt), and Patsy &Tom Johnson (Steven). He was also pre-deceased by his other sister, Ruby and husband, Gordon Spiers, his mother Tillie and father Noble, brother in laws George Mulligan, Bill Lange and nephew Derek. He wanted no fuss made at his passing, so there will not be a funeral. Instead, a memorial service celebrating his life will be held at a later date for close family and friends. Harold will be greatly missed by all. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Kootenay Lake Hospital Foundation.
We would like to give our sincere thanks to the doctors (Dr. C.J. Reinecke and Dr. P. Malpass), nurses, and support people who helped Harold and us through this difficult time.
No regrets for a life well lived.