The Twine Loft – July 2023

Passed On: Kenneth Leo Johnston – Little Pond, P.E.I. fisherman and boatbuilder

Johnston, 73, passed away on May 3, 2023. He was born on May 17, 1949. Experienced in all aspects of the inshore industry including pair seining, scallop, herring and lobster fisheries, Johnston was also well known for his boat-building capabilities. Johnston built over 30 new boats for fishermen throughout the Maritimes and notably, repaired countless others, often delaying the start of his own fishing season to ensure others could launch with safe boats. Johnston leaves a huge gap not only in his family but also in the larger fishing community.

Passed On: Shirley Mae Dearing — Moreton’s Harbour, N.L. harvester and fish plant worker

Dearing, 63, passed away on April 28, 2023, at home with her family by her side. She had many jobs in her lifetime but spent many years in the fish plant and fishing boat, most recently lobster fishing with her husband in 2022.

Passed On: Carleton Matheson — Estmere, N.S. aquaculture worker

Matheson, 86, passed away in Baddeck, N.S. on April 27, 2023. He was born in Jubilee, N.S. on April 30, 1937. During the last 20 years before his retirement, Matheson enjoyed his work at the Bucklaw Fish Hatchery.

Passed On: Edward Bromley — Goose Cove, N.L. fisherman

Bromley, 82, passed away on May 15, 2023, in St. John’s, N.L. He was born in St. Anthony, N.L. on January 22, 1941. He loved life on the water, where he fished with his best friend and cousin John Joe for 71 years. He was happiest out on the boat, on the wharf or in Harbour De View.

Passed On: Patrick LeBlanc — Wedgeport, N.S. business owner

LeBlanc, 85, passed away in Yarmouth on May 26, 2023. He was born on October 20, 1937. LeBlanc dedicated much of his life to doing business in the seafood industry as the third-generation owner of marine hardware retailer A. L. LeBlanc Limited.

Passed On: Walter Applin — Shoal Cove West, N.L. fisherman

Applin, 67, passed away at home on May 5, 2023. He was born on August 27, 1955. Applin fished alongside his brother Howard until 2004, when he fell ill.

Passed On: Morgan Wells — Pond Cove, N.L. fisherman

Wells, 86, passed away at home on May 2, 2023. He was born in Brig Bay, N.L. on January 7, 1937. He spent many years as a fisherman in the summer and a woodsman in the winter.

Passed On: Richard Butt — Liverpool, N.S. mariner

Butt, 75, passed away in Lockeport, N.S. on April 13, 2023. He was born in New Milton, England. Butt enlisted in the merchant navy as an engineering officer, where he worked for Castle Line sailing freight between Southampton and South Africa. After that, he took a job with another shipping company, which led him to Nova Scotia.

Passed On: William LeBlanc — Wedgeport, N.S. fisherman

Leblanc, 92, passed away in Yarmouth, N.S. on May 1, 2023. He was born in Wedgeport on November 23, 1930. LeBlanc left school at 15 to go lobster fishing with his dad in a dory and eventually bought a lobster boat before selling it to deliver mail for 24 years.

Passed On: Larry Smith Sr. — Yarmouth, N.S. fisherman, fish plant worker and trucker

Smith, 75, passed away in Yarmouth on May 30, 2023. He was born in Digby, N.S. on May 2, 1948. Smith worked in the fishing industry for over 50 years, working on fishing vessels, in fish processing plants and driving tractor trailers to deliver fish products.

Passed On: Todd Nickerson — Nova Scotia fisherman

Nickerson, 54, passed away in a side-by-side accident at the hunting camp he shared with his friends on April 29, 2023. He was born on November 2, 1968. Nickerson’s first love was fishing; whether it be ground fishing, sword fishing, fishing for tuna, harpooning or lobstering. He lost his love for and desire to be on the water when he lost his son, Katlin Nickerson, to the ocean.

Passed On: Joseph Garron — Sandy Point, N.S. fisherman

Garron, 69, passed away on April 27, 2023, in Yarmouth, N.S. He was born in Doctor’s Cove, N.S. on March 22, 1954. In his younger years, Garron was a fisherman and an Irish mosser.

Passed On: Lennie Smith — Woods Harbour, N.S. fisherman and buyer

Smith, 89, passed away in Barrington, N.S. on April 27, 2023. He was born on November 23, 1933, in Centreville, N.S. Smith enjoyed a full life as a fisherman and lobster buyer.