Benedict’s legacy lives on
“Harold was in his 80s and I remember thinking he was working as hard as someone 30plus years younger! In terms of physical work, he was definitely a main player in the build.
Humble. It's the word that keeps coming up to describe Harold Benedict.
“The last thing he wanted was recognition. People have no idea how much work was done by Harold because he did so much behind the scenes,” said Scott Leier, a village commissioner in Port Williams.
Benedict was a tireless worker in the village for longer than most can remember.
“He was a most unassuming person with a passion for giving back to the community,” said Leier.
The community mourned Benedict's recent death at 93 while celebrating his life and his love for the village and its people.
Born in Canard in 1927, Benedict moved with his parents and nine siblings to Port Williams when he was two, beginning his decades-long love of the village. He learned the ethic of hard work early. His mother was hospitalized with tuberculosis when he was only five and his older siblings became his caregivers while his father worked on a local farm.
Local writer Laura Churchill Duke enjoyed interviewing Benedict in 2019 for a SaltWire Network story about his life.
“His mother was in the sanitorium with tuberculosis most of his life. At the age of 14, he walked a horse from Port Williams to the back woods of Windsor to work in the woods for months at a time. Alone. I cannot imagine my kids, who are the same age, doing this. These experiences made him strong and no-nonsense. He just put his head down and did what needed to be done. He was humble.”
At 19, Benedict returned to Port Williams to work on a farm, where he met 14-yearold Greta Schofield. They dated until Greta turned 19 and they were married in Wolfville. In the 1940s, Benedict peddled milk by horse and wagon for a local dairy and then began a 25-year career delivering oil for Irving in Wolfville and Port Williams. His family expanded to include five children, and then grandchildren and greatgrandchildren.
Benedict retired at age 69 and began what might be called a second career — volunteering in the community.
“Harold was a jack of all trades and wasn't afraid to roll up his sleeves and do whatever jobs needed to be done, traits his son, Lewis, also inherited. He was in the thick of everything, and because he was handy, could fix or build anything” said Churchill Duke.
Benedict volunteered for many tasks necessary to keep the village's recreation facilities ready to use. He helped to clear the pond and flood it before the yearly cold snap, put up the softball backstop net and maintained the tractors that mowed the playing fields.
He was heavily involved during the construction of the two soccer fields, the Veterans' Memorial and the Launchers Athletic field.
“His technical knowledge and assistance ensured that the work of laying concrete, digging post holes and erecting the safety cage for the throws facility was done correctly. And the floor of the equipment shed that had never been even? One day it was level, the building jacked up and secured thanks to Harold,” noted the village volunteer of the year commendation provided by Sylvia Jacquard.
Lia Hennigar Port Williams resident
“In most small communities there are people who work tirelessly in the background who do what they do, not for recognition or accolades, but for the love of their community. Harold and his son, Lewis, are two such individuals. For years Harold and Lewis spent most Sundays doing projects around the village.”
When the need for a second soccer field arose, the village started looking into the projected costs.
“The estimates were considerably more than the village could afford. Harold and Lewis took on the project. Using up a lot of favours, frontend loaders and dump trucks were provided. In recognition of the work done, the recreation committee made several motions to officially name the soccer field the Benedict Field. These motions were vetoed by
Lewis (who was chairperson). When Lewis was not in attendance at one meeting, I took the opportunity to make a motion to name the field the Benedict Field. It passed unanimously,” said Leier.
Churchill Duke and Port Williams resident Lia Hennigar remember Benedict's help with the new park in Port Williams.
“It was around 2010 when Lia Hennigar and I began work to build the Port Williams Playground. Lewis Benedict was (and still is) the village commissioner, with whom we worked. Every time there was a build day, or work that needed to be done, he would bring his 80-yearold father, Harold, with him. Harold was in the thick of it all, building the playground, watering trees, checking on the park at all hours, and doing what needed to be done. They worked so tirelessly; we dedicated a bench in the park to Harold and Lewis,” said Churchill Duke.
Hennigar credits Benedict with keeping the park trees alive through the first hot summer.
“Harold was in his 80s and I remember thinking he was working as hard as someone 30-plus years younger! In terms of physical work, he was definitely a main player in the build. Harold did so many things quietly and didn't expect any fanfare. I didn't even know he had been watering the trees at the park that summer until I returned from visiting family in Ontario. It was the hottest summer and he went up almost every day to take care of them. Those trees would not be there if it weren't for his care.”
Benedict organized a gettogether at the park every August.
“He would make hodgepodge from the veggies in his garden, someone else would bring their barbecue and all the bakers would bring dessert. Harold loved dessert. We would talk, feast, and compliment ourselves on what an awesome park we built and watch the kids play. It was a reward for all the hard work,” said Hennigar.
In 2012, Benedict was recognized as Volunteer of the Year for Port Williams.
“My kids were at PWES at the time and we decided it would be nice if we invited him to an assembly and offered him a PWES cap. He was tickled to hear his name and he walked up to get the cap with the students clapping. He wasn't one to brag and would downplay his efforts. He was humble. That was the word I was looking for. Humble is rare these days and Harold had that quality,” said Hennigar.
Benedict will be greatly missed by the Port Williams community.
“I call him my adoptive grandfather and loved him as such and as a great friend. We shared a love of history, both having grown up in the area. He would always sit on his front verandah and everyone who walked by would stop and talk with him. He loved company and was so social. Being in COVID, with that void of company was really hard on him, too. I remember we were talking about someone who had died, and how the spouse was having a hard time. Harold had nursed his wife, Greta, until the end of her dementia, looking after her unfailingly. He said when you lose a loved one, it doesn't get easier; you just get tougher. I will think of that these days, remembering him, knowing we will get tougher without him,” said Churchill Duke.
“The last thing we added to the park was a tire swing. Harold insisted he wanted to buy something for the kids. As per the sign that sits above it, he dedicated it to his wife. I like to imagine them together again in heaven. Maybe they found a swing,” said Hennigar.