Obituary of Harold Alfred Jolliffe

 

February 18, 1945 - Cranbrook, British Columbia

April 4, 2023 - Calgary, Alberta

 

Harold Jolliffe, beloved husband of Norma Jolliffe (nee Palmer), of Beiseker, AB, passed away on Tuesday, April 4, 2023, at the age of 78 years.

 

Harold was born in Cranbrook, BC, on February 18, 1945. In October of 1965, the twenty-year old married his eighteen-year old high school sweetheart, Norma.

 

His career took him to various locations within Western Canada and as far away as the Amazon Basin in Bolivia.  His final home was in Beiseker, AB.

 

Harold graduated from the University of British Columbia with a Bachelor in the Science of Forestry degree in 1968 and a Master of Forestry in 1976. He taught at the University of British Columbia while achieving his Master’s Degree, then spent the next twelve years teaching Logging Engineering at Malaspina University College in Nanaimo, BC. But his longest lasting, and favorite career, was installing flooring, which he did for several years, until his final illness.

 

Harold accomplished much throughout his life and was particularly proud of building a sawmill in the Bolivian Amazon Basin and the five years spent in Bolivia making that mill work. This was a man who was hearing impaired, working in the Amazon Rainforest with indigenous people who, like him, could not speak Spanish, yet he made himself understood.

 

Harold had a passion for building, whether houses, furniture or just simple repairs. He loved doing things that required a tape measure, hammer and nails, and a saw. A friend once said he was the only person he knew who used a tape measure to pack a trailer.

 

Harold’s most memorable vacation was when he took his two oldest grandchildren, Connar and Hailey, to Europe for three weeks, travelling to Germany, Spain, Portugal and Great Britain. But he loved to travel. His first major trip was to Japan, with a four day stop-over in Hawaii, and the bug bit him. Before his illness, he travelled regularly four times a year, saying he only worked to feed his travel addiction.

 

Our Memories

 

The traditional Christmas Eve reading of “The Monster at the End of the Book”, complete with voices and hand gestures, was the first thing his children recalled as a favoured memory. A tradition carried on with the grandchildren.

 

  His absolute love of purple shirts.

 

Sleeping in his flat-bed truck “Kinnardly” (kinnardly start, kinnardly run), after a trip to an auction and waking up to find himself in a cemetery.

 

  Building a treehouse for his grandson with his son-in-law, Dave, even after Alex said, “Oh, God!  Over-the-top Dad and anal Dave, they’re going to kill each other.”

 

Harold and daughter-in-law Helen arguing in Gibraltar about road directions. And she was right. And, she said “I told you so.”

 

Besides his loving wife Norma, Harold is survived by his son Forrest  and wife Helen, of Calgary AB; and daughter Alex and husband David Wilson  of Airdrie, AB. He is also survived by his two grandsons, Connar Jolliffe of Airdrie, AB, Thomas Jolliffe of Calgary, AB; his granddaughters, Hailey Wilson of Fort MacMurrey AB, Jaimie Wilson and Ashlee Wilson, both of Airdrie, AB;  finally, he was the proud great-grandfather of Colton Jolliffe, living in Airdrie,  AB.

 

Harold was predeceased by his parents, Wilfred Jolliffe and Victoria Jolliffe as well as brothers, Alfred Jolliffe, Ralph Jolliffe and Gerald Jolliffe.

 

Condolences, memories and photos can be shared and viewed here.

 

In living memory of Harold Jolliffe, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Crowfoot, 82 Crowfoot Circle NW, Calgary, AB T3G 2T3, Telephone: 403-241-0044.