Henry Turnbull was born on November 7, 1939, to Meg and Matt Turnbull. A member of the Silent Generation, he also carries the proud distinction of being a Falkirk Bairn, having been born in Falkirk Hospital. (Local historian Ian Scott offers a wonderful explanation of what it means to be a Falkirk Bairn.)
Henry’s cousin, the late Nigel J. C. Turnbull, wrote a short biography of Henry’s father for the 2006 edition of Mary’s Bairns, the family directory.
Through Nigel’s account, you can glimpse the world of Henry’s early childhood in wartime Scotland — and you can also see clearly where so many of Henry’s defining qualities came from: his kindness, his gentleness, his passion and industriousness, and his lifelong love of gardening. All of these were gifts first embodied by his father.
1939 was a year that shaped more than one cultural icon.
Batman first appeared that spring, the creation of Bob Kane and Bill Finger — a character who caught on so quickly that by 1940 he already had his own comic book.
And then there is the film that quietly became the most-watched movie of all time: The Wizard of Oz. Released in 1939, it gave the world Technicolor magic, unforgettable characters, and Judy Garland’s ruby slippers. Ironically, it was a financial disappointment at first, earning less than a million dollars over its budget. Its immortality came later.
A few months later, on July 13, 1939, in a New York studio, the Harry James Band recorded From the Bottom of My Heart. Their new vocalist was a thin young man named Frank Sinatra, cutting his very first single. He was earning $75 a week on a two‑year contract — no one yet imagining what he would become.
All of this unfolded against the shadow of a world about to break.
On September 1, 1939, Germany invaded Poland, beginning the war that would define the century.
Early Years
Henry was the lead actor in the Denny High School production of Midshipmite. He would later study Drama and how to teach the topic. He became a beloved and respected Drama teacher.
Henry completed his Highers at Denny High School in English, Latin and French. He then went to Stirling High School and completed his Higher in Geography.
He enjoyed helping his father with the gardening, both at home and in the gardens his father tended around Denny. He was his father’s steady assistant. And because he read anything he could get his hands on, he looked forward to the weekly bundle of newspaper comic pages his father brought home from the foundry.
His mother gave him another kind of pleasure: taking him to the cinema to watch the newest releases and the wartime newsreels.
Even as a boy, Henry handled responsibility. Under his mother’s direction, he managed the family’s Co‑op account, learning how to keep their household purchases in order.
Later, when he was working as a teacher, he would send money to his parents. It was his way of honouring them.
Harry’s younger brother Jim recounts:
“My early memories are of him being keen on walking and youth hostelling. He got me a membership in the Scottish Youth Hostels Association (known to everyone simply as the SYHA) and took me on a week‑long walking holiday around the Loch Lomond area, staying in a different youth hostel each night. It was a wonderful holiday, and a cherished memory.”
He also went hill‑walking in the winter with friends, wearing crampons to climb through snow and ice. His sister Margaret recalls that a fall somewhere in the hills left him with a facial injury for a while. Jim says, “I think that brought an end to that particular hobby.”
University Years
After graduating from high school, Henry was accepted to the University of Glasgow. When he went to register, he discovered there was already another student named Henry Turnbull in the same class. He simply said, “Then I’ll be Harry Turnbull.” He graduated with an M.A. in Geography in 1961, and went on to get his teaching certificate from Jordan Hill College of Education in 1962.
He supported himself during university by working as a bus conductor. In early‑1960s Scotland, conductors — often called “clippies” because of their ticket‑clipping machines — were essential to daily transport. They sold tickets with manual machines, managed the open rear platforms, collected fares, issued tickets, and signalled the driver. This was the standard system on the double‑decker buses that served cities like Glasgow.
After graduating from Jordan Hill College of Education, Henry began teaching at Bannockburn High School in Stirling, Scotland, where he remained until the Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal beckoned.
Coming to Canada
The Protestant School Board of Greater Montreal (PSBGM) was a predominantly English‑language Protestant school district created in 1951 to replace the Montreal Protestant Central Board.
It ceased operations in 1998, with most of its responsibilities transferred to the new English Montreal School Board. Because Quebec’s Protestant boards served all non‑Catholics, most of the city’s Jewish students attended PSBGM schools.
During the population boom of the 1960s, the board sent recruiters abroad to find new teachers. They travelled to Scotland, where Harry was hired to teach at West Hill High School.
West Hill High School
In the 1960s, West Hill High School was the flagship school of the PSBGM. With a student population of about 1,800, it offered a wide range of programs, including a string orchestra and an overseas band that toured Europe.
The school had a swimming pool, a large auditorium used for school assemblies, meetings, concerts and plays, and an extensive sports field and an audio-visual lab. One of its most well‑known graduates is actor William Shatner. At that time, the school was a strong and active institution. In the 1960s, approximately 80% of the student population was Jewish.
“Two Jews, three opinions” is a well‑known saying that points to the long‑standing Jewish tradition of debate and intellectual diversity. It reflects a culture in which multiple — even contradictory — viewpoints are expected and valued, and where no single centralized authority dictates uniform interpretation in matters of law, theology, or daily life.
Even though this was not the cultural environment in which he had been raised, he appreciated the intellectual rigor his students brought to his English and Latin classes. In addition to teaching, he served as a Guidance Counselor and as faculty advisor to the Debating Club, Folksong Club, Drama Club, and Student Council. The Drama Club was his favourite; each year it staged a full play or musical, and he took particular satisfaction in guiding those productions.
Harry loved teaching drama, and later attended Concordia University to earn a fine arts degree. There he deepened his understanding of art and film, and strengthened his skills in teaching Drama and acting.
Life with Jean Louis
Pastels by Jean Louis Roy Circa 1990
Harry met Jean Louis Roy in the early 1970s. Jean Louis was a gifted artist, pianist, and teacher, and served as accompanist to the renowned Canadian soprano Natalie Choquette. The two enjoyed a life together and travelled often, visiting Europe, Scotland, and the United States over many years.
In 1989, Harry took a sabbatical year and invited Jean Louis to join him on his travels through Europe, Scotland, the United Kingdom, and the Middle East. Jean Louis declined.
When Harry returned home eleven months later, he found that Jean Louis had become seriously ill with cancer of the larynx. After a laryngectomy, Jean Louis required extensive care. Harry nursed his close friend with devotion, providing palliative support until Jean Louis’s death in 1991.
The loss devastated Harry. In time, he found a bereavement group that helped him navigate his grief and begin to heal.
Sabbatical Year
Harry loved travelling and learning about other cultures. After his first year of teaching in Canada, he set out on a long journey across the country, continued through the western United States, and travelled into Mexico. In the years that followed, he and Jean Louis travelled abroad many times.
His sabbatical year offered him the chance to explore places he had never visited before. His travels took him through Italy, Greece, Turkey, Norway, Sweden, Bulgaria, Hungary, Germany, Spain, Gibraltar, Czechoslovakia, and Yugoslavia, as well as Egypt and Israel in the Middle East. It was a year of discovery, reflection, and deepening his understanding of the wider world.
When he wasn’t travelling, he stayed with his parents in Denny. He helped his father with the gardening and took on the responsibility of doing the household shopping. He also joined the Falkirk Bohemians, originally established in 1948, their first production was the light operetta ‘Gypsy Love‘. Since then, the Bohemians have put on an annual production of musical theatre classics, cabarets and modern smash hits.
Brother Jim recounts:
Henry joined the Falkirk Bohemians in the late fifties. He appeared in the 1958 production of Brigadoon with his brother Cram, both of them taking small roles. Their sister Margaret, who was in the audience, says they were both excellent — and she was impressed enough to join the F.B. herself, appearing in the 1964 production of Kiss Me, Kate.
Wagar High School
In 1976, René Lévesque and the Parti Québécois (PQ) were elected, forming Quebec’s first openly sovereigntist government. The following year, the National Assembly adopted Bill 101 — the Charter of the French Language — which established French as the mandatory language of government, education, work, and commerce. It required workplaces to operate in French, ensured consumers could be served in French, and mandated French‑language schooling for most immigrant children.
Between 1972 and 2022, it is estimated that more than 600,000 English‑speaking Montrealers relocated to other parts of Canada. West Hill High School, which had once enrolled approximately 1,800 students, saw its numbers fall to only a few hundred.
During this period, an incident of antisemitic graffiti appeared on the school’s doors. For reasons that remain unclear, the principal at the time did not have the hateful message removed promptly. In response, many Jewish parents withdrew their children from West Hill, with a significant number transferring to Wagar High School, which had a large Jewish student population.
West Hill High School ultimately closed in 1992. For Harry, the closure came at a painful moment. He had just lost his dear friend Jean Louis, and now he was losing the school that had long been his “home away from home.” He had to fight through the teachers’ union to secure continued employment. Eventually, he was hired to teach English and Drama at Wagar, where he taught for four years before officially retiring.
Retirement Years
On his last day at Wagar, I went to help him bring his personal belongings home. When I arrived in the late afternoon, I found him at his desk preparing lesson plans for the colleague who would be taking over his classes. Another teacher stopped by the room, saw Harry still working, and said, “Why are you here? You’re retired.” Harry explained that he was leaving lesson plans for his replacement. The teacher gently told him, “You don’t have to do that — he should prepare his own lesson plans.” And then we went home to his new life as a retiree.
West Hill High School
1992
With Appreciation for Your Dedicated Efforts on Behalf of the Students
PSBGM
1996
Frontier College
After the summer passed, Harry volunteered with Frontier College, where he gave English lessons to an adult learner from Ukraine. The student, Alekandr, remained deeply grateful for Harry’s patience and dedication; he would call Harry every year on his birthday to thank him for the time and care Harry invested in helping him develop his English speaking and writing skills.
Frontier College is now known as United for Literacy.
Scottish Country Dancing
Harry loved Scottish Country Dancing and would attend weekly classes until his sciatica became too bad that he had to stop.
He also attended the Montreal Highland Games and helped to set up a booth promoting Scottish Country Dancing.
Tai Chi
One of the activities Harry took up after retirement, in addition to aqua‑fitness, was Tai Chi. He loved the sense of balance and meditative calm it brought him. Click here to see a YouTube video of him in action, performing with a fan during a class in a nearby park.
Centaur Theatre
For over 40 years, Harry held season tickets at Montreal’s famed Centaur Theatre. He not only loved teaching Drama — he delighted in every aspect of theatre life, especially the simple joy of being a member of the audience.
His Garden
I scanned over 100 flowers from his garden.
Many years ago, I discovered a website called the Garden Humour Website, which offered the certificate shown above. I was delighted to request one and surprised Harry with a printed copy. He was genuinely pleased.
The adjacent slideshow features images of flowers from his garden that were scanned, using a flatbed scanner.
Harry often said that his gardening philosophy could be described as “Slightly Tamed Wilderness.”
In 1998, he won First Prize in the City of Montreal’s Concours Fleurir Montréal. I had submitted his garden in honour of its 25th anniversary. When I told him, he said, “I’ll never win.” But when the City of Montreal called to announce that he had won, he was like a cat who had just eaten a canary. I was so thrilled for him.
Front or back façade
The Mayor of Montreal is honoured to award this certificate to
Harry Turnbull
in recognition of an exceptional contribution to the beautification of the city.
Given in Montreal, September 23, 1998.
The Mayor of Montreal
Pierre Bourque.
Concours FLEURIR MONTREAL 1998
and the Mayor seen on the far right of this photo
Family and Friends
As much as Harry loved returning to Scotland, he cherished even more the times when family came to visit him. When his older brother David and sister‑in‑law Rita came for a six‑week stay during Expo ’67, there was a mix‑up with their return flight to Scotland. Harry was absolutely delighted when he learned they would have to remain an extra week before flying home.
Harry’s sister Margaret visited twice — once with her friend Anne, and another time with their cousin Mary Wilson. Other family members also made the trip: his niece Linda Turnbull visited around the time Princess Diana passed away.
Another niece, Janet Prophet, and her husband Stewart spent two wonderful evenings with us. His great‑nephew Sam Turnbull was in Montreal for just one day, and Harry loved taking him around to see the sights.
There are photos of David and Rita, of Margaret with Mary Wilson, and of Janet and Stewart somewhere in the house. I had hoped to include them on this website. When I find them, I will add them.
Throughout his life, Harry maintained close relationships with his friends, whether they were in Scotland, London, Vermont, or Washington State. In the photo above, he is shown presenting an 80th‑birthday cake to his dear friend of more than 60 years, Gwen Lord. He met Gwen at West Hill High School, where they worked together in the Guidance Department. Gwen later became a Principal and eventually a Regional Director with the PSBGM.
The picture below shows Harry with his friends and colleagues Margaret, Pat, Gil, and Noreen. They would meet once a month for lunch, keeping their long‑standing friendship alive. On a couple of occasions, he hosted a brunch for them in his beloved garden.
Harry was a friend in the fullest sense of the word. He was my best friend and my companion. I first met him when I was fourteen years old, as one of his Grade 9 English students at West Hill High School. After that year, life carried me forward — I eventually moved to Vancouver, where I lived for about fifteen years. When I returned to Montreal twenty‑five years after first meeting him as a student, Harry and I reconnected, and from that moment began a friendship and companionship that lasted for thirty‑four years.
We respected each other deeply. Not only did we respect and like one another — our love for each other was profound. He was compassionate and caring. When I had a heart attack, my cardiologist warned me that if I did not stop smoking, I would be dead within a year. Harry, who was also a smoker at the time, simply said, “If you have to stop, then I will stop too.” And he did.
He embraced my family wholeheartedly, always ready to prepare a special birthday dinner for my sister Judith, and delighted when my sister Rhonda and my niece Janelle came to visit from California. He treated them with courtesy, warmth, and grace.
But where I saw the deepest expression of his humanity was in his relationship with my grandchildren. He loved them as if they were his own. He was “Papa Harry,” and I was “Papa Dad.” My grandchildren attended an elementary school just a few blocks away. On Friday afternoons, either he or I would pick the boys up and bring them home for after‑school snacks, piano and music theory lessons, and then — when their mother arrived — we would all sit down together for Shabbos dinner.
I remember one Friday when I picked the boys up from school. Harry had gone grocery shopping. When the boys came home, they immediately asked, “Where’s Papa Harry?” I told them he had gone shopping and would be back soon. When Harry walked through the door, there were cheers and excitement, and one of the boys exclaimed, “Papa Harry, you’re back!” Later, Harry told me that hearing those words filled him with the feeling that they truly loved him — until the same grandson added, “Did you bring the yoghurt?”
Harry’s Passing
Harry passed away in the early evening of Wednesday, May 20th, 2026, after a brief stay in palliative care at Mt. Sinai Hospital. I was with him when he died, and I am profoundly grateful that he did not leave this world without my companionship. I hold Mt. Sinai in the highest esteem for their professionalism, compassion, and the extraordinary care they provided during his final days.
Harry wished for his ashes to be scattered in Scotland, and this will be done.
This summer, I also plan to hold a Celebration of Harry’s Life in the garden he tended with such devotion — weeding, seeding, watering, pruning, relocating plants, and doing all the things a master gardener does to shape a “slightly tamed wilderness.” I mowed the lawn because Harry always said that a beautiful garden looks its best with a freshly cut lawn. I was his apprentice.
If you would like to attend or participate in the Celebration of Harry’s Life in his garden, please click the link below to email me, and I will let you know when the gathering will take place, weather permitting.
kenneth [at] hemmerick [dot] caA Final Reflection
We worked together on one of my film projects, where he served as the principal narrator of my short film Sometimes. His voice was — and remains — extraordinarily beautiful in this work. I include this video on this commemorative website for my dear friend Harry because its mystical tone reflects the deeper meaning of our life together. Although the video quality has naturally degraded over the past thirty years, the audio still conveys the resonance and presence in his voice — a reflection of his life and his being.
May his soul soar to the highest heavens!
Henry (Harry) Turnbull
November 07, 1939 – May 20, 2026
31,637 days on Earth — A life well lived
Harry was predeceased by his parents, and by several of his beloved siblings: William and his wife Beth; David and his wife Rita; and his brother Cram. Cram’s wife, Jean, remains with us, as does their sister Margaret, whose husband has also passed. Among that generation, the surviving family members are Margaret, Jean, Jim, and myself — along with grand‑nephews, nephews, nieces, grand‑nieces, and cousins — the last keepers of those shared memories and stories.