Entry 80
On February 24th, 2023, Harry passed away at his home in the very early hours of the morning, surrounded by his family, in the 13th year following his prostate cancer diagnosis. Thankfully, Harry was not in pain during his final days, as he had been receiving palliative care for four weeks.
Photo taken at Dunnotar Castle in Scotland in 2019
Obituary - stimson-harry
The following was written by friend Ted Muir:
As we age and come to realize that our days ahead are dwindling in number, we are thankful for the people who have touched our lives and come to be best of friends. We share like values and interests, and we cherish moments together just for the sheer joy and pleasure of being in each other’s company. Harry Stimson was one of those people who I valued as a friend as did many others.
Looking back, we were lucky to grow up in a time of unprecedented environmental awareness and a new found eagerness to take to the outdoors. As a volunteer with the Manitoba Naturalist Society, Harry advocated for the establishment of new parks on the east side of Lake Winnipeg and was always lobbying for the development of more outdoor recreational attractions in our parks. He also played a major role- as joint owner of The Happy Outdoorsman - in introducing people to recreational pursuits outdoors. The HO was all about the use of non mechanical means of exploring and enjoying the natural world- while maintaining a healthy lifestyle at the same time. Many of us have forgotten that the HO was the place to go to get advice and purchase equipment - be it for camping, cross country skiing, hiking or canoeing. Harry and Margaret walked the talk in the realm of canoeing - spending a chunk of their free time behind a paddle in Canadian shield country. A deep love and admiration for wild things in wild places shaped their lives, along with son Tom, and engendered many wonderful relationships.
Harry and I were barely acquaintances during our volunteering stints with the Manitoba Naturalist Society and it was not until much later around 2014 that our paths crossed at a weekend retreat organized by Bob Williams to celebrate the life of our mutual friend Robert Taylor. Now in its eleventh year the weekend retreat “The Meeting of the Minds” forged many solid friendships many of which were nurtured by auxillary walks through parks, visits to art exhibits and coffee bars along with skating outings. These were great times with much resolve to make the world a better place.
At my first retreat I recall praising Harry on his youthful appearance, joking about the meds he must be on. Unbeknownst to me at that moment he was in the early stages of managing life as a prostate cancer survivor - a disease that would eventually take his life. As chance would have, I followed the same path a few years later and found Harry’s support in dealing with the disease to be comforting and helpful. He assisted many others in a similar position often noting that the act of just listening to men talk through their feelings was useful. Equally notable he documented his experiences in detail on a blog that received thousands of hits - unequivocally helping patients and loved ones around the world get through some difficult times. He and friend Patrick Treacy, also a survivor, offered valuable input during the production of a leaflet from The Manitoba ProstatevCancer Support Group.
The Harry I know was a quiet, intellectual, thoughtful man who had a balanced and embracing outlook on life. He had deep convictions about human justice and equality. He was an enlightened and caring individual who set a high bar with his chums when discussing worldly matters. He valued friendship and took the time to keep folks with multifaceted interests - some artistic- in nurturing relationships. He was the glue that kept us together. He was very much a family man and deeply loved Margaret and son Tom and the grandchildren. He made sure his friends knew that matters pertaining to his health were tackled and done as a family. This held up right to the end.
Once Harry entered palliative care we knew the end was near, but his death still hit us hard. We all wanted a few more years of Harry in our lives and could not fathom life without him. Toward the end we took comfort in expressing how much he was admired and loved by all who knew him. We also feel blessed to have had him in our lives and left with so many wonderful memories. I know the feeling was mutual.
Rest in peace my friend.
