Post Sixty-Three

The Cadence Concludes

Harold Niles died in his sleep on August 1, 2013 following a period of declining health. Harold was 92.  I have been unable to post a reflection on his passing until now. Terry and her entire family of origin now rest with the Lord.  My four year experience as primary caregiver is now over.

Here is what I wrote to the Lake Louise Christian Community at the time of Harold's death: Even with his fading memory, Harold liked to tell people that he first saw Lake Louise when he was seven years old. He liked to brag that as a teenager he was the first to construct a hydroplane to speed across the water of Lake Louise. Harold chose the Lake Louise Camp beach as the place to ask Mary Cutter to be his bride in 1942.  They were married in 1943.  Harold was well known for his booming bass voice, his beautiful singing, his ability to fix almost anything mechanical, his mischievous smile, and his inability to turn off the television.

During World War II Harold served in the Army Air Corps and was trained as a technician on the Norden bomb sight.  Following the war Harold began a 35 year career with Ford Motor Company as an automotive engineer.  He was an expert in fuel formulations and instrumental in developing new fuel formulations for the high compression engines that came into service in the 1950's.

Harold was preceded in death by his son, Stanley (Tom) Niles ; his daughter, Terry Gladstone, and his wife Mary.  He is survived by his son-in-law David Gladstone, his daughter-in-law Denise Niles, four grand children Carl, Mary, Nathan and Nicloe, and one great grandchild, Theo.  

I will most remember Dad as an entusiastic and powerful singer.  The family joke was that I was accepted into the family because I was a tenor and I completed the quartet.  In 1963 Deaborn First UMC made a recording of all their choirs.  On that recording Dad sings the solo in a pretentious old style Easter anthem entitled Light's Glittering Morn. The text of his solo follows.  An excerpt from the recording is linked below.

That Eastertide with joy was bright,

The sun shone out with fairer light,

When to their longing eyes restor'd

Th'Apostles saw their risen Lord:

He bade them see His hands, His side,

Where yet the glorious wounds abide;

These tokens true which made it plain

Their Lord indeed was risen again.

Harold Niles sings LIGHT'S GLITTERING MORN