Memories Chapel
330-18th Street North
Brandon, MB R7A 7P3
Phone: 204-727-0330
Fax: 204-725-0971
Email: office@memorieschapel.com
In Memory of
Cyril "John"
Harrison
Harrison
1917 - 2017
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Obituary for Cyril "John" Harrison
Cyril "John" Harrison, formerly of Portage la Prairie and Carman, Manitoba passed away at Hillcrest Place Personal Care Home, Brandon on Thursday, August 24, 2017 at 99 years of age (6 weeks short of his 100th birthday).
He was born October 4, 1917 to Eludie and Tom Harrison of Whitemouth, Manitoba (one of fourteen children). He spent his early years in and around that area. He started grade one at 8 years old because he had to stay home and look after the younger children (although they did play a lot of school at home). He quit school when he was 14 years old (grade 6) because his teacher wouldn't pass him unless he took his music exam - which he wouldn't take. Apparently he just packed up his things - walked out of the school and went home with the teacher calling after him.
After that he spent a few years trapping with some of his brothers and working on farms for neighbours. There were a few close calls while trapping - of bears outside their tent / falling in the river / and crossing rivers not quite frozen during the winter. There is a picture of his brother Jim and him with rifles taller than they were.
Later he landed in Portage la Prairie where he met and married Mabel Grace Kilborn in 1940. They had two children Donald Bert and Barbara Joan. He worked on and helped build elevators in and around the Portage area.
He joined the army and spent time in the Pacific (Aleutian Islands) and the Atlantic (England and Scotland) areas. He joined as a infantry man but right away was "commandeered" to be a cook - where he spent the rest of his army time - cooking in the Sgts Mess. A lot of stories came out of his cooking experiences - good and bad - as he was such a perfectionist. He made a lot of friends of the higher up personnel as he would do "cooking favours" for them whenever he could.
He missed the birth of both his children Donald June 16, 1941 and Joan December 31, 1942 but did manage to get home after their births and spend time with them and Mabel.
When he returned to Portage after the war - he bought property on 16th St. N.W. and built a house (the family lived in Mabel's parents home on 14th St. N.W. while he built the house). He spent many years working as a carpenter for Johnny Winters. There are still many houses on Island Park / Crescent Lake Road / KoKo Platz / and even 1 or 2 hotels that he built that are still there. He also spent years working and helping build the Campbell Soup Building.
He left Portage in 1963 and moved to Carman to manage a new bowling alley which he later bought. He endured two floods which almost destroyed the Alleys _ but John with his carpentry skills and the majority of his own money brought them back to pristine conditions both times.
Shortly after arriving in Carman he built his own house and lived in it for over 50 years until he moved to the Hillcrest Place Personal Care Home in Brandon in October 2013 when he was 95 years old.
John sold the alleys years later while he was still in Carman, but the buyer was not a good business person and the alleys went downhill fast. They were going to go into receivership until the City of Carman asked John if he would buy them back. John did so with a mountain of debt facing him and finally got things straightened out. Later on he re-sold them to a reliable and caring family.
John was always a sports-minded person_ he played fastball while he was in Portage. He curled until he was 90 or 91 (using a push broom at the end) and quit because he got cold one night and couldn't sweep and "if he couldn't help his team it was time to quit." His last golf game was in Carman when he was 93 years old and he quit golfing because he just couldn't hit the ball like he used to. He gave up his driver license at 94 years after a couple of minor fender benders that certainly were not his fault. He LOVED to bowl (was on three leagues a week for many years). He even travelled back to Portage to bowl once a week after moving to Carman.
In the 1950's they had bowling tournaments and he and friends travelled to different towns and won a variety of prizes. (Our house on 16th Street was furnished with many of these prizes - recliners, kitchen table and chairs, card table and chairs, kitchen appliances and much more).
He was the CANADIAN 5 PIN BOWLING CHAMPION in 1960 winning the title in Calgary.
John's highest bowling game was 448 (out of 450). He had strikes all the way across the board until his last ball in the 10th frame and he left a corner pin standing.
John also loved to hunt - geese / ducks/ deer. and spent many many years doing so with family and friends from Portage and Carman.
His first wife Mabel (Kilborn) died in 1972 (54 years old) in Carman. The following year John travelled back to England to visit family (Aunty Maud and Uncle Frank) and even brought them an ice box. He then went to Scotland to visit friends he had met during the war. The friends - Winnie and Bill - were away on holidays - but Winnie's sister Mabel (Connon) recently widowed was in Aberdeen and she and John visited.
He returned to Canada - went to the Caribbean on a bowling business holiday - wrote to Mabel and proposed. She and two sons Douglas and Richard came to Canada the following year 1974 and she and John were married at John's brother's place in Scarborough, Ontario. It was Mabel's first trip to Canada.
John and Mabel made a return trip to Scotland a few years later and John got to golf at the "St. Andrews Golf Course".
Mabel's daughter and family made many trips to Carman and got to travel from the East to the West Coasts and even into parts of the United States.
John enjoyed travelling and camping and getting to visit with all his family and friends all across Canada.
John moved from Carman to Hillcrest Place Personal Care Home in October 2013 on Halloween. He was met at the door by witches and goblins and must have wondered what he was getting into. The first few years were good / He got out for suppers (Chicken Delight) with Lorna and Joan / got up to Joan's for visits / celebrated his 96th and 97th birthdays at the A.N.A.F. with family and friends. His 98th and 99th birthdays were at Hillcrest. He adored his great granddaughter Dannielle and loved to give her rides on his knee in his wheelchair. He enjoyed whenever his grandsons Aaron and David came for a visit and loved to beat you in a game of crib.
Slowly he began to fade and memories got fuzzier. By the time his son "Donny" got into the nursing home he didn't know who Donny was and he had even forgotten who "Joanie" was. At the end he still had some good alert moments with the staff - but spent the majority of his time sleeping.
Health wise he had been doing good - but two bouts of pneumonia were too much and on August 24, 2017 he passed away.
John was predeceased by his parents (Tom and Eludie), wife Mabel Kilborn and son Donald, wife Mabel Connon of Aberdeen Scotland and stepson Richard, and eleven brothers and sisters. John is survived by his daughter Joan (Don) Gates, grandson Aaron and great granddaughter Dannielle of Brandon; grandson David of Halifax; step-daughter Diane (Jimmy) Gall/ Lorraine and Callaum (Steven, Richard and Rachael) and James and family; stepson Douglas/ Alan and family of Aberdeen, Scotland. He also has a sister Isny (99 years) in Winnipeg and a brother Art (96 years) in Harewood, Ontario.
There will be a graveside ceremony at the Carman Cemetery Summer of 2018.
He was born October 4, 1917 to Eludie and Tom Harrison of Whitemouth, Manitoba (one of fourteen children). He spent his early years in and around that area. He started grade one at 8 years old because he had to stay home and look after the younger children (although they did play a lot of school at home). He quit school when he was 14 years old (grade 6) because his teacher wouldn't pass him unless he took his music exam - which he wouldn't take. Apparently he just packed up his things - walked out of the school and went home with the teacher calling after him.
After that he spent a few years trapping with some of his brothers and working on farms for neighbours. There were a few close calls while trapping - of bears outside their tent / falling in the river / and crossing rivers not quite frozen during the winter. There is a picture of his brother Jim and him with rifles taller than they were.
Later he landed in Portage la Prairie where he met and married Mabel Grace Kilborn in 1940. They had two children Donald Bert and Barbara Joan. He worked on and helped build elevators in and around the Portage area.
He joined the army and spent time in the Pacific (Aleutian Islands) and the Atlantic (England and Scotland) areas. He joined as a infantry man but right away was "commandeered" to be a cook - where he spent the rest of his army time - cooking in the Sgts Mess. A lot of stories came out of his cooking experiences - good and bad - as he was such a perfectionist. He made a lot of friends of the higher up personnel as he would do "cooking favours" for them whenever he could.
He missed the birth of both his children Donald June 16, 1941 and Joan December 31, 1942 but did manage to get home after their births and spend time with them and Mabel.
When he returned to Portage after the war - he bought property on 16th St. N.W. and built a house (the family lived in Mabel's parents home on 14th St. N.W. while he built the house). He spent many years working as a carpenter for Johnny Winters. There are still many houses on Island Park / Crescent Lake Road / KoKo Platz / and even 1 or 2 hotels that he built that are still there. He also spent years working and helping build the Campbell Soup Building.
He left Portage in 1963 and moved to Carman to manage a new bowling alley which he later bought. He endured two floods which almost destroyed the Alleys _ but John with his carpentry skills and the majority of his own money brought them back to pristine conditions both times.
Shortly after arriving in Carman he built his own house and lived in it for over 50 years until he moved to the Hillcrest Place Personal Care Home in Brandon in October 2013 when he was 95 years old.
John sold the alleys years later while he was still in Carman, but the buyer was not a good business person and the alleys went downhill fast. They were going to go into receivership until the City of Carman asked John if he would buy them back. John did so with a mountain of debt facing him and finally got things straightened out. Later on he re-sold them to a reliable and caring family.
John was always a sports-minded person_ he played fastball while he was in Portage. He curled until he was 90 or 91 (using a push broom at the end) and quit because he got cold one night and couldn't sweep and "if he couldn't help his team it was time to quit." His last golf game was in Carman when he was 93 years old and he quit golfing because he just couldn't hit the ball like he used to. He gave up his driver license at 94 years after a couple of minor fender benders that certainly were not his fault. He LOVED to bowl (was on three leagues a week for many years). He even travelled back to Portage to bowl once a week after moving to Carman.
In the 1950's they had bowling tournaments and he and friends travelled to different towns and won a variety of prizes. (Our house on 16th Street was furnished with many of these prizes - recliners, kitchen table and chairs, card table and chairs, kitchen appliances and much more).
He was the CANADIAN 5 PIN BOWLING CHAMPION in 1960 winning the title in Calgary.
John's highest bowling game was 448 (out of 450). He had strikes all the way across the board until his last ball in the 10th frame and he left a corner pin standing.
John also loved to hunt - geese / ducks/ deer. and spent many many years doing so with family and friends from Portage and Carman.
His first wife Mabel (Kilborn) died in 1972 (54 years old) in Carman. The following year John travelled back to England to visit family (Aunty Maud and Uncle Frank) and even brought them an ice box. He then went to Scotland to visit friends he had met during the war. The friends - Winnie and Bill - were away on holidays - but Winnie's sister Mabel (Connon) recently widowed was in Aberdeen and she and John visited.
He returned to Canada - went to the Caribbean on a bowling business holiday - wrote to Mabel and proposed. She and two sons Douglas and Richard came to Canada the following year 1974 and she and John were married at John's brother's place in Scarborough, Ontario. It was Mabel's first trip to Canada.
John and Mabel made a return trip to Scotland a few years later and John got to golf at the "St. Andrews Golf Course".
Mabel's daughter and family made many trips to Carman and got to travel from the East to the West Coasts and even into parts of the United States.
John enjoyed travelling and camping and getting to visit with all his family and friends all across Canada.
John moved from Carman to Hillcrest Place Personal Care Home in October 2013 on Halloween. He was met at the door by witches and goblins and must have wondered what he was getting into. The first few years were good / He got out for suppers (Chicken Delight) with Lorna and Joan / got up to Joan's for visits / celebrated his 96th and 97th birthdays at the A.N.A.F. with family and friends. His 98th and 99th birthdays were at Hillcrest. He adored his great granddaughter Dannielle and loved to give her rides on his knee in his wheelchair. He enjoyed whenever his grandsons Aaron and David came for a visit and loved to beat you in a game of crib.
Slowly he began to fade and memories got fuzzier. By the time his son "Donny" got into the nursing home he didn't know who Donny was and he had even forgotten who "Joanie" was. At the end he still had some good alert moments with the staff - but spent the majority of his time sleeping.
Health wise he had been doing good - but two bouts of pneumonia were too much and on August 24, 2017 he passed away.
John was predeceased by his parents (Tom and Eludie), wife Mabel Kilborn and son Donald, wife Mabel Connon of Aberdeen Scotland and stepson Richard, and eleven brothers and sisters. John is survived by his daughter Joan (Don) Gates, grandson Aaron and great granddaughter Dannielle of Brandon; grandson David of Halifax; step-daughter Diane (Jimmy) Gall/ Lorraine and Callaum (Steven, Richard and Rachael) and James and family; stepson Douglas/ Alan and family of Aberdeen, Scotland. He also has a sister Isny (99 years) in Winnipeg and a brother Art (96 years) in Harewood, Ontario.
There will be a graveside ceremony at the Carman Cemetery Summer of 2018.
