Harold died peacefully in Kingston General Hospital surrounded by his wife and children, due to complications from a fall at age 82.
Harold was born on the last working farm on Presqu'ile Point, then mainly a summer resort community. His parents were John T.N. (Jack) and Frances Mary Atkins (Eagleson). He will be missed by Anne, his loving wife since 1960, his son (John) David (Cheryl Stoltz), grandsons Alexander (Sandy) and Iain, his daughter Julia Anne (Jeff Hannaford), brothers Bob (Lois) and Don (Edna Mae), sister Peggy (Hugh Hawthorne) and many nieces, nephews, other relatives, and friends.
A civil engineer, Harold graduated from University of Toronto in 1954, and earned a Master of Science degree from Queen's University in 1963. His work experience included the planning of the Mid-Canada Radar Defense Line and design, construction and maintenance of airport runways for the Ministry of Transport.
In 1967, Harold joined Ontario's newly opened community college system as a teacher and course coordinator with Seneca College in North York. In his element as an educator, Harold completed a satisfying twenty-seven year career at Seneca as Dean of the Faculty of Applied Science and Engineering Technology, responsible for 5 engineering divisions and more than 2000 students. His successful textbook, Highway Materials, Soils and Concrete, was published in four editions and is still used in Canada and elsewhere in the world. .
In 1998, Harold and his wife moved to their cottage on Presqu'ile and then built a home in Brighton. Harold wrote many articles for various publications about the history of Presqu'ile, including the chapter "Presqu'ile” in That's Just the Way We Were: Brighton Memories. He was instrumental in the creation of displays at the Lighthouse Centre, including a mannequin representing his father who narrates the history of Presqu'ile.
A private family gathering will be held, and he will be interred at Mount Hope Cemetery in Brighton.
In lieu of flowers, a donation to the Friends of Presqu'ile or to the Alzheimer Society of Canada would be appreciated.
www.walasbrighton@rushnellfamilyservices.com
