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A Brief Life Review

� Herald was born May 14, 1933 on Cape Breton Island, Nova Scotia. Cape Breton Island was a fishing and mining community when he was growing up there. He remembers his childhood being very comforting, warm, and loving. He said he remembers the different activities he did and causing mischief. The first memory Herald can recall is when he was 5 years old and he was at school. He said the teacher had not gotten to school yet to open it, but it was cold out so Herald crawled through a window; Herald got in a lot of trouble for breaking into the school. As far as Herald knows he was a happy baby, but as a child he was always very helpful and did what was asked on him

Childhood

� Life as a child for Herald was a lot of fun. He said they played a lot of games like baseball, hockey, horseshoes, he would go exploring in the woods and on the shoreline. His childhood was very care free and never boring. Herald always had something he could do; he would do odd jobs for money and work on his bicycle. Herald shared a story about how his bicycle got wrecked. He said one day his brothers, Norman and Alistair, took his bicycle without him knowing and crashed it into a pole; all that was left of the bicycle was two pieces.

Childhood- continued

� Herald’s earliest happy memories are of time spent with the family, playing with his friends after school and going exploring. Herald said his earliest saddest memory is of losing his mother when he was 7-8 years old. The passing of his mother affect Herald deeply, all he could think of how he would never see her again and how much he missed her. When his mother passed his oldest sister Marguerite took on the responsibility of running the household and became a mother figure to Herald. The family became very close after the passing of his mother and even the neighbours helped out. Herald was never really sick as a child but he did have quite a few minor accidents.

Childhood- continued

� Herald’s father John, was a miner, and his mother Christina, a stay at home mom, both were Nova Scotia born. Herald described his father as being very easy going, playful, and hard working. His father always played horseshoes with him and his siblings and he would sometimes take them to hockey games. Herald described his mother as rough; he said if you were out of line she would tell you, but Herald said he would never trade her for the world. His parents got along very well; he cannot recall his parents ever having an argument. A few teachings Herald remembers from his parents is “not to get in trouble”, “be kind to people”, and “respect your elders”. Herald’s parents got along with everyone, they always had people over for Sunday dinners or they would go to his uncle’s house for Sunday dinner. Herald said there were always lots of people over for dinner and it was always a lot of fun.

Parents

� When Herald got in trouble he knew why usually because he was told not to do it. His mother was the boss in the house and if he did something bad enough all she would say it “wait until your father gets home”. Usually if Herald wanted something he would ask his father and if it was there he got if not he did not. Most the time if Herald wanted something he worked for it by doing odd jobs around the community. Out of everyone in the house Herald was closest to his oldest sister Marguerite and he would go to her whenever he was upset.

Parents- continued

� Family

Herald’s Siblings Oldest to Youngest

Marguerite

Herald

Agnes

Gerald

Norman

Katherine

Alistair

� Herald shared that his oldest sister Marguerite was the mother figure of the household and he would look to her for guidance. Herald said Agnes was always trying to tag along with Herald when he was out with his friends. Herald said that one time he found a snake and tied it around the door handle to stop her from following him. Gerald was always the bookworm and a goody toe shoe of the family. Herald said all he could remember about Norman growing up was that he slept all the time; Norman later joined the military. Katherine was always very timid and she still lives out in Cape Breton. And finally, Alistair was really young when Herald moved out of this childhood home so he did not know much about Alistair growing up.

Family- continued

� Other relatives that were important to Herald growing up was his uncles, Uncle Peter from his mother’s side and Uncle Dave from his father’s side. Uncle Peter use to drive down every Sunday and pick up Herald and his siblings and go for a Sunday drive. Uncle Dave would visit every second week and play horseshoes with the family. Both his uncles visited all the time and were very active in their family. Herald’s ancestry is Irish and Scottish; his mother was from Irish decent and his father was from Scottish decent.

Family- continued

� The first thing s a teenager that Herald thinks about is skating, hockey and baseball. The second thought Herald has when he thinks about his teenage years is getting the strap and the pointer in the knuckles at school. In his teen years Herald really admired his father. Herald described his father as very easy going and easy to talk to. Herald expressed that he could talk to one of his siblings but he would rather speak with his father.

Adolescence

� Herald’s favourite activities as a teenager was playing hockey. It did not matter whether it was ball hockey or ice hockey. Herald said that he loved the breeze of the game and the feel of it. In the winter all the nurses and nuns would come down to skate and they would soak cattails and light them on fire and skate around with them. As well, sometimes they would burn a tire for warmth while skating. Herald shared that he always had food and necessities growing up and having all his siblings made him feel like he was never alone. Every winter was tough for the whole community. Trying to stay warm was difficult; Herald had the duty of finding wood or coal to heat the home in the winter. He shared that he would wait for a train with carts full of coal and try to knock some of the coal out and go back and collect it. That was one way that Herald would collect coal for his family to stay warm in the winter.

Adolescence- continued

� One of Herald’s favourite moments from his adolescence was Christmas holiday. He enjoyed the whole atmosphere of Christmas and the time he would use to play hockey or go sledging. One of his least favourite moments of his adolescence was getting into fights at school. Herald would get into fights at school with certain guys over disagreements but Herald admitted he was not a great fighter. Herald said in his teenager years he did not have any girlfriends, but he did have a few crushes; however he never got involved. Overall, Herald felt that he was a happy teenager and had lots of good experiences.

Adolescence- continued

� In Herald’s early years he remembers almost loosing a finger while fixing his bike. He said he spun the wheel of his bike and his fingers got caught in the spokes and nearly sliced his finger off. When Herald was living at home his household was very involved in the Salvation Army. His Uncle Dave and his father played in the band, and every summer they would preform in front of the hospital. Also, when Herald was younger he was put into Sunday school, which he did not like because he felt he rather be outside playing with his friends and having fun.

General

� The school Herald went to was called St. Anne’s. It was a large school made up of three separate buildings, a grade school, middle school and high school. Herald said that he felt that St. Anne’s was a good school with lots of good teachers. The school had lots of sport teams and activities like football, basketball, and baseball. Herald said he went to school as far as grade 9. Two teachers Herald remembers really well are Ms. Anderson and Ms. Casey. Ms. Anderson Herald really liked, but Herald did not like Ms. Casey because she enjoyed using the pointer.

School

� Herald’s childhood best friends were Arthur Eagles and Gerald Peters. Herald shared that he did not keep in close contact with them, but when they got together it was like they never were apart. On a cold day at school when Herald broke into the school, it was Arthur and Gerald that followed him into the school. Herald shared that if he had the opportunity to go back to school he would like to take three subjects: history, geography and math. Herald said he was always good at math and never had any trouble in that topic.

School- continued

� Herald stated that his adulthood was a lot of fun. Life was good and he always did lots of things. He would go skating, and roller-skating. In his twenties, life was about hanging out with the boys and going after some girls; he said he had a lot of fun all the time. Herald said he would describe himself as easy going, and polite; he said you had to be polite or you would get a smack upside his head. He enjoyed many activities like hockey, sledding, fishing and even cricket.

Adulthood

� Herald never bought a house in his lifetime. Herald when he first moved to Ontario he lived in room and board arrangements with room mates most of the time. When he married Betty they rented an apartment together. Betty was the one that did not want to live in a house again because houses are a lot of work to take care of.

Family & Home

� Herald did not have any children of his own, but he was father to his nieces and nephews.

Family & Home- continued

� Herald had the opportunity to get to know Danny and Denise in their teenage years. Herald said that Danny held a house party when Herald and Betty were gone. At this house party Danny’s friend broke the kitchen sink and the house was a mess. Denise had trouble in school; she would skip school all the time because she did not get along with the teachers. She would watch for Herald out the window of their home and when she saw Herald getting off the bus she would leave the home and go hang out somewhere until it was around the time school ended then come home.


� Herald expressed that his family life was wonderful and he really enjoyed it. Overall, Herald feels really good about his children because he feels like they were all good kids. Herald would rate his child rearing skills a 3, 1 being bad and 10 being great, because he said he was not much help for them for school things, but they would come to him and talk to him. Herald rated Betty’s child rearing skills as a 10, he said that the children really listened to her and she was fair. Herald said that often he was softer than Betty so he would tend to give in to the children more than Betty. When Danny and Denise left home Herald felt that it was good, but he missed them. He said when you go from a house of 4 to a house of 2 it felt empty. Darrell moved home for a short awhile because he was tired of travelling. Herald said that Darrell was a wonderer when he was young; he worked lots of different jobs all over the world.


� Herald says his relationship with his children now is wonderful and his relationship with them has always been positive. He was always proud of the children when they graduated from school. Herald was only really disappointed twice by his children, when Danny through a party and when Denise was skipping school. Although he was disappointed then he said he is very proud of them now. Other family members in Herald’s life that play a large role are his sister’s children. Death of family members affect Herald badly, the death of a family member tends to hit him harder than most. When two of his nieces died, Donna and Ann Marie, he felt a great amount of sadness because they had once looked after him. Herald believes that family is very important in society, especially in Cape Breton. In Cape Breton family and community is a very important aspect of everyone’s life compared to Toronto.


� Herald shared that the recession and depression did hit his family hard, but his family always pulled through. He was young when the war was going on so he does not think it affected his life all that much. However, Herald remembered that his family had to use food stamps to help them get by. Herald never really followed any fades, but he was into Country Western Music and Western movies. Herald recalls his trips he took to Europe as an special occasion. He travelled to Germany with Betty to see their son and to also see the sites. As well, Herald went to Italy, Paris, and France with Betty too. When Herald was younger he went to Switzerland for a hockey tournament, which was really exciting for him. Something Herald remembers well about his trips to these other countries is the food and the beer, as well as the historical sites.

Eras & Galas

� Besides being involved in the Salvation Army and going to Sunday school when he was young Herald was never a part of a religion or church. Herald also, tries to live his life day to day rather than living his life by some belief. However, Betty was stricter and liked to have a schedule and a plan for everything.

Religion

� Herald said that he has very vivid dreams and they often feel real sometimes. Herald shared that sometimes the dreams startle him so much he wakes up in a cold sweat. He said that his dreams have definitely changed with time, he more often dreams of the good times which is nicer than the other dreams he has.

Dreams

� Herald said he does not hold a political view. He feels that things are always in turmoil these days in the government and he hopes that Trudeau will be able to change that in given time. Herald also pointed out the American election and said that he does not know what our country is going to do if Trump is elected President in the United States. Herald said that he does not get the fuss over the Syrian Refugees, he believes that they should get a chance to live in Canada and experience a better life.

Politics

� Someone Herald has not mentioned that he felt like he could always depend on is his friend Clifford Carron. Clifford Carron is from Cape Breton and he use to live down the street from Herald when they were children. Herald shared that him and Clifford would go out skating and playing ice and ball hockey together all the time. Some neighbours that stand out in Herald’s memories are his neighbours from Cape Breton, the McNeils and the Peters. The McNeils and Peters were good neighbours that Herald previously did chores for when he was young. Compared to Toronto Herald said that his neighbours in Cape Breton were a lot friendlier. In Toronto Herald said you hardly know your neighbour, he said he tried waving and saying hello to his neighbour once and he just looked right through him.

Significant Others

� Throughout Herald’s life he said that he has had bad and good influences. The bad influences that he met were usually the people who tend to get rowdy. Herald said these rowdy friends were fun loving and good people, but he would not get involved in doing the things that they did. A positive influence Herald recalls is Aubrie Donavan; Herald said that Aubrie was a good student that did not skip school. Herald said that Aubrie joined the air force, which Herald was not surprised about because Aubrie and Herald would build model airplanes together. Herald said he would like to renew his relationship with ‘the boys’ from Toronto. Over time Herald said the boys separated got married and moved away. So he is curious to see how they made out and how they are doing. Herald said that when he goes back to Cape Breton and sees his friends there they pick up where they left off.

Influences

� Herald said he had dogs when he was young, King and Max. A pet Herald remembers well is this stray cat that hang around there home. Herald said that this cat was very wise; it would look both ways before crossing the road. However, Herald believes that his cat was poisoned because he got really sick and died.

Pets

� Something that was very important in Herald’s life is hockey. Herald said his life without hockey looks dull. He has always liked playing hockey and watching his favourite hockey team the Montreal Canadiens play. Herald has many good memories of playing hockey with ‘the boys’, back home in Cape Breton (in the hospital parking lot) and playing ice hockey in the winter.

Hockey

� Herald shared that he has always admired Wolves. He said that they look so sleek and the way they move is very beautiful. Herald has seen a wolf as a pet and in a zoo up close. He saw one in the wild in Margaree Valley Northern Nova Scotia. In contrast to how beautiful Herald thinks wolves are, he thinks that Moose are the very unattractive; he said that they are not the best looking animals he has seen.

Sensory Experiences: Sights

� Herald has some vivid memories of odours, when he was a mailman he has a memory of skunks. There was one day when Herald was out delivering mail and he nearly stepped on a skunk, and luckily the skunk did not spray him. Herald said he could smell the skunk before he saw it. Another smell that Herald remembers vividly is the smell of the farms when he was a child. As well, Herald remembers smell of the packing plant on the corner of St. Clair and Keel in Toronto, Herald said that you could really smell that place. A pleasant smell Herald remembers is of Bacon. Herald said that he loves the smell of bacon and the taste of bacon, but he can no longer eat bacon anymore.

Sensory Experiences: Smells

� Movement that Herald associates with memory is skating. Skating brings back memories of the cold, the pain in his fingers and toes when he tried to warm them back up, the nuns and nurses; he remembers how skating brought people together. Another movement that brings back memories and the movement of walking, Herald said when he walks it brings up this feeling of having to keep up.

Sensory Experience: Movement

� Herald’s favourite pastime is going for walks outside; in the past Herald particularly enjoyed playing hockey. A pastime Herald started with Betty was they would go out dancing together. Herald said he was never really artsy or creative, but when he was a child he enjoyed colouring in colouring books and doing jigsaw puzzles.

Entertainment

� Herald is a big fan of Western and Detective/Mystery movies. Particular actors he likes are Bill Hitchcock, Gene Autry, Lish Rue, and Clint Eastwood. Also, Herald enjoyed Crime/Mystery Television shows. Herald really liked the Guy Lombardo show, which is an orchestra show that was on TV. A radio broadcast Herald use to listen to was the Creaking Door and Hockey Night in Canada, when he had the time to listen. As well, Herald really enjoys Country Western style of music like Hank Snow, Hank Williams, and Merle Haggard. One of his favourite songs is by Hank Snow called Mother; Herald said he really enjoys the singing and lyrics of the song. Another song Herald likes is Okie from Muskogee by Merle Haggard.

Entertainment- continued

� Herald has a few favourite foods and he admits to being fawn of most foods. In particular he enjoys hamburgers, scalloped potatoes and ham, and fish cakes. He does not have a special restaurant he likes; him and Betty would try any restaurant to eat at. Herald said he does not like cooking much because by the time you finish cooking your meal you are not hungry anymore and do not want to eat it. It is no surprise Herald has an interest in hockey, but Herald also has an interest in baseball, darts, curling, boxing (every Friday night) and the Olympics.


� In Cape Breton as a child Herald’s family had a vegetable garden they shared with another family. They grew potatoes, cabbage, turnip, and carrots. Betty really liked to grow houseplants, but Herald never really had any interest or time to take care of plants. Herald said he and Betty had plans to travel across Canada, but when Betty got sick their plans got cancelled. Herald said he would not want to travel by himself, he would only want to travel with Betty because she is a good travel companion.


� Something Herald is really proud of is being born in Canada. He says considering the world we live in today being in Canada is something to be proud; especially the East Coast. Herald wishes now that he did not avoid school. If he could go back in time he would have finished his schooling or go further than what he did. Growing up Heralduse to do lots of chores for the elderly in his neighbourhood. Herald feels that people should look out for each other. He would run earns for his neighbours for nothing just to help them out. Even now Herald still likes to help people when he can. Herald would treat himself too. Herald would go around collecting scrap when he was young to get some extra money and he would go to the restaurant and eat pie, ice cream, 7up, anything really he could get.

Triumphs & Regrets

� Herald said his best qualities are that he is: 1.  Caring 2.  Patient 3.  Resourceful As a child Herald would describe himself as very helpful, easy-going and patient. In fact Herald said that throughout his entire life he has been an easy-going guy. When he got older (in his teenage and adult years) he was very active, always walking or playing sports. A lot of these qualities Herald still has, he is still very active, caring, helpful, patient and easy going.

Best Qualities & Self-Description

� A major turning point in Herald’s life was when he started getting sick in November 2012. When he started getting sick he started thinking about his family and life differently. As well, he had to adjust to giving up some of his independence. Herald said that Betty went through a lot of the same thing so she understood what he was going through. Herald has learned to take each day one at a time. He is not afraid of death and he does not think about it because he is content in living each day.

Turning Points in Life

�

The kindest person Herald has ever known is his wife Betty. Herald said that she is someone who would give her shirt off her back to someone. She has always been very kind and caring towards people. Also, Herald said his sisters were some of the kindest people he has known, they took care of him. The most unkind person Herald knew that this bully from school, he use to pick on people just for fun.

Kind & Most Unkind People Herald has

known

�

The most interesting experience Herald had was when he travelled to Switzerland. He said that the scenery and the people were all so different; the people were very friendly there. The most boring experience Herald had was French class in school, he did not find it very interesting at all.

Most Interesting & Boring Experiences

�

The best place Herald said he lived was in Cape Breton, Herald loves the way of life in his hometown. Comparatively, the worst place Herald has lived was Toronto. What Herald did not like about Toronto was that you hardly knew your neighbour because no one spoke to each other.

Best & Worst Places Herald has Lived

� 1.  To never change his way of life

2.  To finish school to grade 12

3.  To be able to help people by doing

things for them and to check on them

Herald’s Three Wishes

� Overall Herald said he has lived a very good life, although he said it was nothing special he enjoyed everything he did. The only thing Herald said he would change if he could is that he would have stuck with school longer. Herald’s three main satisfactions in life were meeting Betty, moving to Toronto, and ending up in Crown Ridge Place. His only disappointment in life was not finishing school. Although Herald did mention about how his brothers broke his bicycle into pieces after working on it all winter to get it ready for the summer, as another disappointment in his life. The hardest thing Herald faced in his life was growing up without his mother. Also, Herald added that he always had a hard time getting up in the morning for school when he was young. The happiest period in his life was when he was young; especially when he got his first hockey stick and puck.

Final Summary

� If Herald could stay the same age all his life he would pick 20. Herald said when he was 20 years old he was still young, but he was becoming more mature at the same time. At his age now Herald is worried about falling apart, he said his body does not work the way it use to. However, the best thing about being his age now is the all the memories he has. As Herald grows older he fears losing his eyesight completely. However, Herald said he is not afraid of death because we all end up there eventually. Herald hopes that as he grows older that he will be well taken care of. In life Herald did not do anything he did not want to do. He said if anyone asked him if he wanted to go to the opera he would say no, but if someone needed help with something he would be more than willing.

Final Summary- continued

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