Obituary of Harold Staffen

George Harold Staffen June 8, 1923 - January 15, 2024 No one called him George. That was his dad’s name. He was always Harold to those who knew and loved him. Harold passed from us, January 15, 2024, at the Parkwood Institute in London, Ontario. His time was long and full and he marveled at his longevity, looking back over a century at a life truly well spent. Harold would have been 101 on June 8 of this year. Born in Paris, Ontario, his life began in that peaceful interlude after the Great War. When war loomed again and his country called, Harold joined the RCAF and went overseas to the United Kingdom. The war was unfortunate for so many but we, his family, owe that war our existence. There he met and married Jean, who he loved and cherished for 77 years, until she passed in 2022. Together, at their home in Dorchester, Ontario, they raised five children, who all felt they could have no better parents. Harold was the easy parent, the soft-spoken parent, the lax disciplinarian. Rarely did Harold raise his voice and if we kids needed correction, it was not Harold we feared. He was also the worried parent, the fretful parent, but doing so quietly, without dramatics. Not that his parenting wasn’t tested. On the day Harold’s brand new sporty Pontiac was delivered, his eldest son borrowed it and drove over 500 miles the first night. This cheek warranted a proper thrashing but Harold remained silently stoical. Presumably, since the car returned clean and undamaged, and the son was appropriately remorseful, Harold accepted that as a win. In fact, Harold accepted all his children as a win and somehow, without us being aware, molded his manner into our behaviour and we loved him for it. Harold thrived on being a family man and we treasured the holiday car camping in the old chevy, crammed with kids and dogs. Harold relished being on the road, with our gear cleverly stowed and the bucket of wet laundry tucked into the engine compartment, drying clothes as we drove. Those times and Harold’s resourcefulness we remember fondly. Harold was a modest man but probably more chatty and ripe with warm humour than anyone you could name. He had many friends: at his work for Silverwood Dairies (where he made ice cream to the delight of his family), in his community and his church. Harold was active on the local school board, when his children were younger and later committed his time to the Scouts, which he supported for many years. Harold was social and savoured a good celebration. We remember the six pack of beer he would purchase for New Year . . . and the six months it would take him to finish the last bottle. Harold needed no assistance to enjoy life. He could have fun enthusiastically because he had found his formula for happiness. As was his way, Harold shared that happiness with great generosity. All warm memories aside, Harold was a great father and role model but, more importantly, he was our dad. He will be missed. Harold’s remains have been cremated. A memorial service will be held on Saturday, June 8, 2024 at Bieman Funeral Home, 3970 Hamilton Road Dorchester at 2:00 p.m. Online condolences may be made at www.biemanfuneralhome.com (Bieman Funeral Home, 3970 Hamilton Road, Dorchester, ON N0L 1G2 - (519)-268-7672 - in charge of arrangements)