Obituary for Capt. Earl Harry Demone
Capt Earl Demone, 96, of Martins Brook passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, on Sunday, October 25, at South Shore Regional Hospital, in Bridgewater.
Born in First South on October 11,1924, Earl was the only son of the late Capt Harry and Gertie Demone and the last surviving member of his immediate family.
Earl’s childhood coincided with the Great Depression. That experience influenced him for a lifetime. He embodied the values of that generation that we admire so much: hard work, looking after your family, thrift and investing your money wisely. As a young man of 15, Earl decided to go fishing. This was the time of wooden ships and iron men and even though the danger and hard work were very real, he saw it as a noble calling, “harvesting from nature to feed the world”. He fished on his father’s vessel and became a captain at 24. He owned and built vessels, landing record catches. Earl will be remembered by his many crew as “Skipper”. He trained a remarkable number of young men who followed in his footsteps to become captains. Later in his career he moved to “work ashore” eventually becoming Vice-President of Fleet at National Sea Products and travelled the world.
Upon retirement, Earl and Rena, enjoyed a quiet life on the shores of Princes Inlet, with friends and family. His children and grandchildren brought him great pride and joy. He enjoyed sailing and racing with his life-long friends the Himmelman brothers, Edgar and Doug, on the schooner Calanova. Even in their 70’s and 80’s they won many trophies in the schooner races. All who knew him will recall his strength, pride and determination combined with a wonderful sense of humour and expression that left many family and friends with smiles, chuckles and fond memories. The spark in Earl’s eye dimmed with Rena’s passing but he continued to enjoy life at home with the help of “sunshine”. Most recently, Belle, Joan, and Laura were his sunshine and took special care of the “Skipper”. They enjoyed daily drives around the Lunenburg waterfront, First South and Riverport with coffee and stories overlooking Princes Inlet.
Earl is survived by his son; Henry (Rena), Lunenburg, daughters; Paula, Halifax and Mary (Keith), Lunenburg, grandchildren; Tiffanie (Anuk), Elliott, Andreas, Alise, Kristi (Mark), Kelly (Jason), and Cameron (Abigale), and great grandchildren; Max, Chloe, Ava, Izabelle and Eleanor. He was predeceased by his wife, Rena, a son Kenneth and sisters Isabelle, Lucy, and Marie.
The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the attending staff at the South Shore Regional Hospital for their care, compassion, and attentiveness during Earl’s brief stay.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Dana L. Sweeny Funeral Home, Lunenburg. A private family service will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 2:00 pm at Hillcrest Cemetery, in Lunenburg. A celebration of life will follow at the appropriate time.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Zion’s Lutheran Church, the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore or a charity of your choice.
www.sweenyfuneralhome.ca
Born in First South on October 11,1924, Earl was the only son of the late Capt Harry and Gertie Demone and the last surviving member of his immediate family.
Earl’s childhood coincided with the Great Depression. That experience influenced him for a lifetime. He embodied the values of that generation that we admire so much: hard work, looking after your family, thrift and investing your money wisely. As a young man of 15, Earl decided to go fishing. This was the time of wooden ships and iron men and even though the danger and hard work were very real, he saw it as a noble calling, “harvesting from nature to feed the world”. He fished on his father’s vessel and became a captain at 24. He owned and built vessels, landing record catches. Earl will be remembered by his many crew as “Skipper”. He trained a remarkable number of young men who followed in his footsteps to become captains. Later in his career he moved to “work ashore” eventually becoming Vice-President of Fleet at National Sea Products and travelled the world.
Upon retirement, Earl and Rena, enjoyed a quiet life on the shores of Princes Inlet, with friends and family. His children and grandchildren brought him great pride and joy. He enjoyed sailing and racing with his life-long friends the Himmelman brothers, Edgar and Doug, on the schooner Calanova. Even in their 70’s and 80’s they won many trophies in the schooner races. All who knew him will recall his strength, pride and determination combined with a wonderful sense of humour and expression that left many family and friends with smiles, chuckles and fond memories. The spark in Earl’s eye dimmed with Rena’s passing but he continued to enjoy life at home with the help of “sunshine”. Most recently, Belle, Joan, and Laura were his sunshine and took special care of the “Skipper”. They enjoyed daily drives around the Lunenburg waterfront, First South and Riverport with coffee and stories overlooking Princes Inlet.
Earl is survived by his son; Henry (Rena), Lunenburg, daughters; Paula, Halifax and Mary (Keith), Lunenburg, grandchildren; Tiffanie (Anuk), Elliott, Andreas, Alise, Kristi (Mark), Kelly (Jason), and Cameron (Abigale), and great grandchildren; Max, Chloe, Ava, Izabelle and Eleanor. He was predeceased by his wife, Rena, a son Kenneth and sisters Isabelle, Lucy, and Marie.
The family would like to express their sincere gratitude to the attending staff at the South Shore Regional Hospital for their care, compassion, and attentiveness during Earl’s brief stay.
Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to the Dana L. Sweeny Funeral Home, Lunenburg. A private family service will be held on Tuesday, November 3, 2020 at 2:00 pm at Hillcrest Cemetery, in Lunenburg. A celebration of life will follow at the appropriate time.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations can be made to Zion’s Lutheran Church, the Health Services Foundation of the South Shore or a charity of your choice.
www.sweenyfuneralhome.ca