The Twine Loft – June 2020

Passed On: Charles Pearcey – St. John’s, N.L. fisherman

Pearcey, 82, passed away on April 18. Born on April 26, 1937 in St. John’s, he was the eldest son of the late James and Ethel Pearcey of the Outer Battery. He was well known for his passion of family history of St. John’s and the Outer Battery. He was often found at the family twine store welcoming one and all. The door was always open. He received such distinction as a Provincial Historic Traditional Bearer and appeared on various TV shows and multiple magazines because of his love and passion of N.L. history.

Passed On: Robert Davis – Glovertown, N.L. boat builder

Davis passed away on April 22. He was the former owner of Glovertown Shipyards Ltd. and remained very much involved in the company’s operations from day to day. As an engineer and experienced shipyard owner and manager, he built up a positive reputation in the shipbuilding industry within Newfoundland and Labrador.

Passed On: Effie Pynn – Quirpon, N.L. fish plant worker

Pynn, 83, passed away on April 18. She was born in Eddies Cove on February 18, 1937 to George and Eliza McLean. She lived in Eddies Cove until she moved to St. Anthony when she was 14. It was there that she met the love of her life, Albert, and moved to Quirpon. They were married in 1953 and raised their children together. She was a homemaker as well as helping with the fishing chores. She was a shop owner and eventually went to work at the fish plant until she retired.

Passed On: Gordon Stephens – Shelburne, N.S. fisherman

Stephens, 77, formerly of Canada Hill, passed away on April 26 at the Roseway Hospital, Sandy Point. He was a son of the late Emmett Foster and Edith May (Allen) Stephens. He was a fisherman during his working years. In his retirement he enjoyed sport fishing, cranberry picking and working around his woodpile splitting wood and kindling.

Passed On: Clifford Freeman – Roseway, N.S. marine electrician

Freeman, 96, passed away on April 6 at his home. He was born on May 28, 1923 to the late Henry and Ethel (Parsons) Freeman, who were immigrants to Canada from England. In 1914, he joined the Royal Canadian Naval Volunteer Reserve and in 1942 he transferred to the Royal Canadian Navy to join the War effort and he rose to the rank of Chief Petty Officer First Class. His Armed Forces education and experience led him to a career as a marine electrician. His career as a marine electrician saw him with varied duties from that of chief electrician on ships to the task of teaching the operation of sonar equipment during World War II at Strathcona, Canadian Forces Base, Halifax. After retiring from the Navy in 1965, he worked for the Bedford Institute of Oceanography and later on Canadian Forces Auxiliary boats.

Passed On: William Muise – Yarmouth, N.S. fisherman

Muise, 83, passed away on April 5 at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Born on October 5, 1936 in Quinan, he was a son of the late Norman and Grace (Davis) Muise. He was retired from Laurence Sweeney Fisheries, having also worked as a lobster fisherman, at Dominion Textiles and at IMO as a night watchman. He was a member of the Association of Acadian-Métis Souriquois of Nova Scotia as well as of the Native Council of Nova Scotia.

Passed On: Leonard Doucet – Hubbard’s Point, N.S. fisherman

Doucet, 86, passed away on April 3, at the Yarmouth Regional Hospital. Born on August 9, 1933 in Wedgeport, he was a son of the late John L. “Grand Johnny” and M. Cécile (Doucet) Doucet. He worked in the scallop fishery as a captain, mate and retired as an engineer. In his younger years, he also worked in the nickel mines in Sudbury, as a cook in Goose Bay and in skyscraper construction in Toronto.

Passed On: David King – Morris Island, N.S. fisherman

King, 75, passed away at home on March 30. Born in Middleton, Annapolis Co. on November 3, 1944, at the age of one, he moved to Cape Forchu, where his father was the lighthouse keeper. At the age of 18, he moved to Bunkner’s Island where he took over as lighthouse keeper for his dad. He later moved to Bridgetown, where he bought a farm and also worked at United Elastic. He later moved to Annapolis Royal where he worked as a jail keeper. His final move took him to Morris Island and he became a fisherman until he retired.

Passed On: Roméo Poirier – Cheticamp, N.S. fish buyer

Poirier, 59, passed away on April 6 at home. He was the son of the late Joseph Octave and Marie Anne (Larade) Poirier. He spent most of his life working in the fishing industry. He started as a fisherman and then went on to start his own business as a fish buyer.

Passed On: George Snow – Port Maitland, N.S. fisherman and politician

Snow, 96, passed away on April 7, at the Yarmouth Hospital. He came from a long line of fishermen and was a Mayflower descendant. He was a lobster fisherman for 48 years until he retired in 1989. An active member of the Port Maitland Lobster Co-op, he was instrumental in securing a price bonus for all Port Maitland lobsters for many years. He was an old school navigator who could find his traps in thick fog and make it home to the wharf just in time to get a cradle under his boat before she grounded on the ebb tide. Because he was “on the outside” on January 13, 1967, his was the first boat to go and rescue the captain, crew and dogs aboard the freighter Nelson B, which sank on the hazardous Trinity Ledge.

He took time out from fishing to run in five Nova Scotia elections. He lost the first and the last, but was elected in 1963, 1967 and 1970. Attracted to public life by Robert Stanfield, he was appointed to Cabinet in 1968 and served as Minister of Lands and Forests, Minister of Public Works and Minister responsible for Housing. He believed it was an honour to serve as the MLA for Yarmouth for 11 years. After losing the election in 1974, he happily returned to lobstering with his last boat, the Heather and Madeleine.