DEMPSEY, Daniel Anthony

Passed away at home, surrounded by family, on December 5, 2020. He was 84. Daniel leaves behind eight children, five grandchildren and four great-grandchildren who will miss his playful pestering, his annual raspberry jam making, the catalogue of old songs and rhymes in his head, the jangling of change in his pocket, and, most of all, the way he brought his family together around the kitchen table for Sunday dinners. Born in Halifax on March 13, 1936, Daniel was the son of Lorne Dempsey, one of nine seamen who died in the sinking of the Hebridean pilot boat off the shore of Herring Cove in 1940, and Margaret (Hanrahan) Dempsey, who continued raising eight of their children on her own after the tragedy. Daniel and his siblings were among dozens of children who lost their fathers in the shipwreck, which occurred when a British steam freighter accidentally struck the Hebridean in the middle of a cold March night. Daniel was four. He never forgot how St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Herring Cove helped his family through the tragedy. He became a lifelong active church member and community volunteer. He served at mass into his 80s. It was at St. Paul’s that he married his beloved Joan Elizabeth (Sutherland) in 1956. He took great joy in making her smile and also in finding new ways to perturb her, like bringing home Christmas trees so large they overtook the living room. Daniel and Joan were married nearly 60 years before her death in 2015. Daniel attended St. Francis Xavier University and worked in marketing for Imperial Oil. He loved fishing, hunting, playing bridge and enjoying a second or third helping of dessert. As a hockey referee, he didn’t hesitate to toss his own son in the penalty box and forgave any on-ice foul language that followed. As a young father, he gathered his children for prayers before bed and enjoyed taking the family on weekend drives along the shore for ice cream or lobster sandwiches, and for picnics at his sister Janet’s cottage in Chester. He had some common refrains. "Time to get up over the wooden hill" meant to head upstairs for bed. His homework policy was: "Don’t do it to get it done; get it right." He loved having his hair combed or his head scratched and would promise his children a quarter if they did it for him. "I’ll pay you when I sell my rabbit oil," was a trick no one fell for twice. The grandchildren, warned about this con, put clothespins in his hair and demanded payment up front. Daniel joked that in school choir he’d always been assigned to the crows or gulls section, but he loved to sing and his family loved to hear him, even if he couldn’t carry a tune. "Can she bake a cherry pie, Billy boy?" was a favourite among his grandchildren. Daniel and Joan nearly lost their lives in a car crash 20 years ago. The family is grateful to have had more time with them. Left behind are his children, Michael (Anne Marie), Kieran (Ron) Pinson, Nancy (Robin) Feetham, Susan, Madelaine (Rob) Maynard, Maureen ( Dave) Smith, Adrian, Lori Anne ( Jeff) Burke; sisters, Janet (Wallace) Scallion and Margaret Ann Elliott; grandchildren, Amy ( James), Danny ( Jami), Jenna ( Mike), Carley ( Ben) and Ashley (Chelsee); great-grandchildren, Eliza, Kate, Hazel and Lauren; step grandchildren, Derek (Kelsie) Smith and Alex Smith. He was predeceased by his wife, Joan; and siblings, Lorna, Francis, Brendan, Kevin, Gerald, Brian, Dennis and Mary. The family would like to thank the QEII palliative care team, the VON, Closing the Gap Healthcare, Dr. Mary O’neill and nurse practitioner Sarah Decoutere. Memorial mass to be arranged at a later date. In lieu of flowers donations may be made in Daniel’s memory to Father Joseph E. Mills Scholarship fund at Stella Maris Parish, or Hope Cottage in Halifax. Online condolences may be made at: www.jasnowfuneralhome.com