In memory of those who have Crossed the Bar

HARRISON, Jean-Guy - À Drummondville, le 10 mars 2023, est décédé à l’âge de 82 ans monsieur Jean-Guy Harrison, veuf de madame Jane Morrison, fils de feu Roméo Harrison et de feu Anna Lamothe, domicilié à Drummondville et originaire de Montréal.

La famille recevra les marques de condoléances le vendredi 24 mars de 13h à 15h aux Services funéraires St-Pierre, situés au 880 rue St-Pierre à Drummondville. Une liturgie de la Parole sera célébrée cette même journée à 15h.

Monsieur Harrison laisse dans le deuil ses enfants ; Suzanne (René), Francine (William), Michelle (Vaughn), Richard (Fabienne) et Sandra, ses petits-enfants ; Geoffroy, Henri, Caroline, Julia, Richard, Marie-Christine, Christopher, Jessica, Jillian, Sasha, Krissie, Devon and Jewel, ses arrière-petits-enfants, son frère et sa soeur ; Diane et Serge, ses nombreux neveux et nièces ainsi que plusieurs autre parents et amis.

La famille désire remercier le personnel de l’Hôpital Ste-Croix pour leurs bons soins.

Votre sympathie envers monsieur Harrison peut se traduire par un don à la Fondation Ste-Croix/Heriot (Services funéraires St-Pierre)

To all who knew my father, he was known as Jean- Guy Harrison ,Chief Petty Officer 2nd class; his military nickname Harry. My father Jean- Guy Harrison passed away March 10, 2023 at the the age of 82 in Drummondville Quebec. His wife Jane Morrison predeceased Jean-Guy four years earlier. Jean-Guy was born in 1940 the eldest son of six of Romeo Harrison and Anna Lamothe. He was born in Montreal and raised in Valleyfield.

As a young man in high school 17 years old, a recruiting team from the Canadian Armed Forces (CAF) Division in Valleyfield would show movies at the local high schools of sailing military ships and life aboard these massive vessels. Jean-Guy found his dream life of becoming a sailor. Now, how to bring the news to his parents and he was sure his father would disagree. With the enrolment papers in hand, he needed a parent’s signature. He decided to approach his father first knowing that his dad did not have the ability to read. He put the papers in front of his dad and said, it was a school assignment that needed his parent’s signature. Voila success!

In 1957, Jean-Guy was an active member of the CAF at HMCS Donnacona. his trade was a boatswain (bosn). Some of his duties were handling ropes, painting ship, steering the helm, swabbing decks, operating winches for the chain and anchor, loading weapons, firefighting, and the list goes on. This was the life for him. He wanted to travel the world to see many countries, towns, cities and witness how the world lives with different traditions, delicious foods, hearing languages, the terrain of the land and the beauty of the sunrises and sunsets following the mast amount of brilliant stars above the earth and beyond--what a dazzling site set before his eyes.

Throughout his career he was very active in many sports teams such as a goalie for hockey, floor hockey, broom hockey, bowling, curling, baseball, darts--if there were more sports that the military offered my dad would have joined! My father loved to dance, especially the jive, where you’re flipping your partner up, around, and under, between the legs and spring to his feet into a fast action beat! He loved the 50’s and 60’s music, Elvis, Chuck Berry (Jonny Be Good) instrumental songs like….Wipe Out , Tequilla. His favourite dancing partner was his sister Hermance who taught him all the dance moves. One passion in the navy was fancy knot work made from rope. It was an old sailor on the HMCS Kootenay who took my dear dad under his wings to show him the ropes…literally! My father began making flowers, roses fancy design works with lots of colors to decorate paddles, piping, bells, and much more. He was tasked from his bosn division on of the ships to decorate the ships brow with this fancy rope work because the Queen of the Netherlands was coming aboard for a grand tour of the ship. Wow! I would have loved to see that myself. My father took pride and integrity in all his work that the military trained him to be and beyond. He worked hard especially during times of bad weather, high winds and especially rough seas when the wind was blowing a Gail! Oh, how many got sick aboard, but not my dad. He seemed to have tough stomach made of iron. They sailed to protect our Canadian waters, our fishery patrol off the coast of Newfoundland search and rescue and many other tasks that were required of them. When my father married my mother Jane they had four children in three years, Suzanne, Francine, Michelle and Richard. My father served for 21 years taking on many postings at sea on various ships and shore postings. One posting in St. Hubert Montreal, Quebec 1974-1977 my father was working at the recruiting division in the most incredible office I had EVER seen as a child in my life. Wow! It was a mobile home office that he drove around Montreal setting up camp for all Canadian citizens to join our Canadian Armed forces. His last posting in 1977 he was sent to Esquimalt, British Columbia as a 2nd class Petty Officer working aboard the HMCS Qu’Appelle. My dad released in 1979.
Jean-Guy moved his family to Quebec and he worked as a full time sales rep at a company in Dorval, as well, working at his brother’s Claud’s garage repairs and joining HMCS Donnacona Naval Reserves in 1980. During these years his three daughters joined him there in the Naval Reserves. Jean-Guy became Coxn at Donnacona for 5 years and retired as a Chief Petty Officer 2nd class in 1997. He served 17 years at Donnacona. He spend 37 dedicated years in total with his constant faithful , devoted service to his country and Queen.

Jean-Guy loved his growing family and spending time with his grandchildren especially on their birthdays. He loved to fill his van with as many grand kids that would fit and drive off to the dollar store to buy an arm full of chocolate bars for the kids to snack on. He loved my mother’s cooking and sitting on the back deck with his home brewed beer pondering and listening to the waterfall pond he designed and gazing at my mothers hard work of landscaping of her annuals and perennials. (Written by his daughter, PO2 Michelle Power (née Harrison))

Ships served in:
HMCS DONNACONA - 26 Sep 1957 - 29 Sep 1957
HMCS D'IBERVILLE - 30 Sep 1957 - 21 Nov 1957
HMCS CORNWALLIS - 22 Nov 1957 - 20 Apr 1958
HMCS SHEARWATER - 21 Apr 1958 - 30 Oct 1958
HMCS SIOUX - 1958 (on temporary duty)
HMCS SAGUENAY - 31 Oct 1958 - 01 Mar 1959
HMCS ATHABASKAN - 02 Mar 1959 - 08 Oct 1959
HMCS STADACONA - 09 Oct 1959 - 13 Jan 1960
HMCS TERRA NOVA - 14 Jan 1960 - 17 Sep 1961
HMCS OUTREMONT - 18 Sep 1962 - 4 Jul 1962
HMCS STADACONA - 05 Jul 1962 - 25 Sep 1962
HMCS DONNACONA - 27 Sep 1963 - 10 Oct 1963
HMCS STADACONA - 11 Oct 1963 - 03 Dec 1963

HMCS CAP DE LA MADELEINE - 04 Dec 1964 - 08 Nov 1964
HMCS STADACONA - 09 Nov 1964 - 24 Jan 1965

HMCS KOOTENAY - 25 Jan 1965 - 10 Sep 1967
HMCS CARLETON -  11 Sep 1967 - 25 Nov 1969
HMCS PRESERVER - Aug 1970 - 01 Feb 1972 - Commissioning crew
ERFC ST JEAN - 01 Feb 1972 - 26 Sep 1972
CFFS HALIFAX - 02 Oct 1972 - 12 Jun 1973
HMCS OTTAWA - 13 Jun 1973 - 11 Jul 1973
HMCS SKEENA - 12 Jul 1973 - 25 Aug 1974
CFRC MONTREAL - 28 Aug 1974 - 15 Jul 1977
HMCS QU'APPELLE - 16 Jul 1977 - Jul 1979. Honourably released - end of contract

C.A.F. (Naval Reserves)

HMCS DONNACONA - Feb 1980 - Jul 1997.  Served as Cox'n 1991-1995
HMCS PORT ST LOUIS - Gate boat weekends for Naval Reserve Training
HMCS PORT ST JEAN - Gate boat weekends for Naval Reserve Training

PB RALLY - 1984 for two weeks as Cox'n

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