Howatt leaves lasting legacy
Tuesday, in Tryon People’s Cemetery, a grand lady of Prince Edward Island was laid to rest. Betty Zelda (nee King) Howatt, a staunch and unfailing defender of rural P.E.I., died last Friday. Her obituary was brief and confined to family members, omitting details of the immense contributions she made to this province throughout her 88 years. It was typical of Howatt, who placed family, community and province ahead of self.
Howatt was a wonderful connection to the pastoral, unhurried province of yesteryear. Life was centred at Willowshade Farm, where for 50 years, she and her husband Everett operated a mixed fruit operation within sight and sound of the Northumberland Strait. Together, they ran the 75-acre farm that has been in Everett’s family since 1783.
Howatt came to prominence in 1973, the Island’s centennial year, when she helped form The Brothers and Sisters of Cornelius Howatt to counter a philosophy of “selling the province at any price.” The Tryon farmhouse was the birthplace of Cornelius Howatt — Everett’s great-great uncle — and a member of the Island legislature who voted against joining Canada in 1873.
A well-known storyteller, she entertained Islanders for many years with her popular weekly segment on CBC Radio’s MainStreet — Tales From Willowshade Farm — where she provided lessons on Island plants and wildlife. She turned those snippets of country living into a book by the same title.
For many years, she was a loyal contributor to the Voice For Island Seniors. Her final submission, which appeared as a Guardian insert just last week, was timely and on topic, entitled ‘A Christmas Concert.’ It was vintage whimsy.
She waged a 10-year campaign against the construction of the Confederation Bridge, fearing it would unleash a tide of development, which would forever negatively change the face of the province she loved. A founding chairman of the anti-link Friends of the Island, she took a lead role at public meetings during the plebiscite campaign.
The outspoken activist on behalf of Island history was also an early champion of P.E.I.’s environmental and agricultural heritage, promoting land stewardship, protection of water and supporting the importance of farming to the Island’s economy and way of life.
The active public speaker and volunteer with many local and national organizations was presented with the prestigious Award of Honour from the P.E.I. Museum and Heritage Foundation for her 12 years of service on the foundation’s board. In 2012, she was among the inaugural six recipients of the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee Medals for her community work.
Howatt supported a P.E.I. heritage museum to preserve the history of the Island. Nostalgically, she said, “There are too many people who are just in the here and now and they forget what has come before.”
Now she is at rest, near her beloved Willowshade Farm. A pillar of Island society is gone but not forgotten. If ever a provincial museum should become a reality, the name of Betty Howatt should adorn the main entryway. Islanders owe her that and so much more.