Obituary of Ernest Northrup
Ern was born in Saint John in 1916 to May Ann and George Northrup. Along with sisters Connie and Beatrice, he lived on the city's Westside.
An accident at the Port claimed his father when Ern was only 4 years old. His mother later remarried and the family welcomed sister June who was the apple of his eye.
Ern was educated in Saint John and attended High School by taking the ferry across the harbour . He later worked at the port with the CPR. Ern was always drawn to Queen's County where the Northrup family had lived. On one of his visits to stay with good friend Art Harris, he met the lovely Flora Boyd from Salmon Creek. He said 'she was the prettiest girl in the country and he didn't want her to get away'. They married in 1941 and settled in Long Creek where they raised their family of 5, Sandra, Carol, Betty Ann, George and Bill.
Pleased to have a boy after 3 beautiful girls, Ern was not too pleased to come home from work one day when George was 2 to find that Flora had him meet his father at the end of the drive decked out in a dress with ribbons in his long curly hair. Ern dispensed immediately with the dress and then brought him into the house and cut off his hair!
Ern loved to work in the woods and made his living that way for many years. He also guided hunters in the Fall and made lifelong friends with several from the US, particularly Guy DiAntonio, who still returns to visit each year. Ern worked for the Dept of Transportation on the snowplow for many years (and missed a few Christmas dinners in the process) and spent 2 winters working in Goose Bay clearing snow on the US Air Force base. While in the Gander awaiting a flight, he encountered some British long haired visitors enroute to NYC for the Ed Sullivan Show, the Beatles.
Ern had many and varied interests, music being a big part of his life. There was often guitar music in the house, particularly when Dwight and Ashley Thorne , Malcolm Beach and Art Boyd were visiting. He also spent a lot of evenings teaching Art guitar chords. He collected many things and was a regular visitor to the rock shops of Parrsboro and Joggins in NS. Ern loved to travel to NS but it could not compete with the White Mountains of New Hampshire in the Fall. He and Flora first went there in 1956 and continued to do so every year until very recently, most often staying at the Mountain Home Cabins in Bartlett. He enjoyed having his children and grandchildren along for trips as well and was quite a tour guide. Ern loved to read and was particularly fond of historical books about the Maritimes. Over the years, he also collected coins, hockey cards and old bottles. He loved tending his front lawn, which got larger and larger every year, and was enjoyed by his children, 7 grandchildren and 8 great grandchildren when they came to visit.
Ern is survived by Flora (Boyd) his beloved wife of 68 years, two daughters: Sandra Hemming and her husband Brian of Toronto, Carol Price and her husband Rev. Harold Price of Woodstock; two sons: George Northrup and his wife Susan and Bill Northrup and his wife Patricia all of Cody's; his brother-in-law, Jean Gilbert of Willowdale, Ontario; eight grandchildren: Matthew Northrup (Tova) of Toronto, Todd Baird and his wife Tracey of Rothesay, Dan Baird and his wife Robin of Millstream, Adam Secord and Brenda Legacy of Sussex, Heidi Semple and her husband Jeff of Quispamsis, Kelli Northrup (Pat) of Fort McMurray, Darci Northrup of Saint John, Pamela Cameron and her husband Adam of Petitcodiac; 13 great grandchildren: Paige, Hannah, Cameron, Kennedy, Kaedy, Kasey, Rick, AJ, Christopher, Sarah, AJ, Tabitha and Timothy: as well as several nieces and nephews.
Mr. Ernest "Ern" H. Northrup of Long Creek passed away at the Sussex Health Center on May 7, 2009 at the age of 92.
Ern is predeceased by: his step father Clarence Phinney, his daughter Betty Ann and her husband Frank Welton, three sisters: Connie Calvin, Beatrice Brown and June Gilbert; and his son-in-law Norman Baird who passed away in 1973.
