Bride, Harvey (Age 89, Don Mills And Formerly Forwich)

James “Harvey” BRIDE peacefully, on Saturday, August 10, 2019, in his 90th year to join the celestial choir. 
Harvey was born on February 3, 1930, in Newbridge, ON, to Carman and Alice (Spence) Bride. At age 16, he left his family’s farm for university. After receiving his honours degree in French from the University College in Toronto, in 1951, Harv spent a year in France developing his gift for languages. In 1952, he returned to earn his teaching certificate at the Ontario College of Education. He began his career in Lucknow, ON. During his 35 years of dedication to teaching French, Harv created many fond memories with his colleagues and high school students in Lucknow, and in Scarborough, at R.H. King, David & Mary Thomson and Sir Oliver Mowat collegiates. He retired in 1988. We were thankful he was able to attend Thomson Collegiate’s final reunion in May. The event and kind comments gave him profound joy and fulfilment! While teaching, Harvey nurtured his zest for academic study by completing graduate degrees from McGill University and the University of Toronto. He spent his summers either in France refreshing his fluency or in Toronto marking Grade 13 final exams or teaching summer school.
In Fordwich, ON, on April 20, 1957, Harv married Marianne Jean Doig. Together, they raised two children, Peter and Miriam, in their home in Don Mills where they celebrated 62 years of marriage. Harvey was known for his kind and gentle nature, his infectious smile and generous spirit. His passion for friends, religious and secular choir music, gardening and family history, was appreciated by all who knew him. For 80 consecutive years, Harv was steadfastly committed to his local church choir. He also joined French choirs, teachers’ choirs, Toronto choirs and patriotic choirs. In 2013, with the Oxford Church Music Choir’s tour to Dublin, he fulfilled his lifelong dream of visiting the Spence ancestral home in County Fermanagh, Ireland.
Harvey was predeceased by his brother, Lorne, of Winnipeg, MB. He is held in loving memory by his wife, Marianne; son, Peter and cherished granddaughter, Emily, of Don Mills; his daughter, Miriam, of Whistler/Pemberton, BC; his sister, Merle MacIntosh and family of Listowel, ON; by his sister-in-law Rosada and family of Winnipeg, MB; and by his brother-in-law and his wife, Edward and Joyce Doig, of Atlanta, GA.
To celebrate Harvey’s life, we welcome family and friends to join us in hymn-sing services on Friday, August 30th, at 10 AM at Jubilee United Church, 40 Underhill Drive, Toronto, and ‘up country’ on Sunday, September 1st, at 2 PM, at Fordwich United Church.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Harvey’s name to Parkinson Canada, Jubilee United Church Benevolent Fund or Fordwich United Church.

Categorised in: Obituaries

This post was written by inmemoriam