Husband Henry Alfred Baycroft [4860] 1
Born: 14 Mar 1925 - Aberdeen, Prince Albert Census Division, Saskatchewan, Canada
Christened:
Died: 6 Jun 2018 - Dargaville, Kaipara District, Northland, New Zealand
Buried: - New Mount Wesley RSA Cemetery, Dargaville, Kaipara District, Northland, New Zealnd
FamilySearch ID: GRCH-7D1
Find A Grave ID: 191857324
Father: Dalton Melville Baycroft [4854] (1889-1974) 1
Mother: Annie Neufelt [4859] (1901-1981) 1
Marriage: 7 Mar 1954
Events
• His obituary was published. Passed away in Dargaville, New Zealand, where he lived since 1988.
Harry took his elementary and high school education in Aberdeen and then went on to train as an apprentice butcher from 1940 to 1943. He enlisted with the Canadian Armed Forces in 1943 and was later stationed in Italy, France, Belgium and Holland. While in Apeldoorn, Holland Harry was wounded on April 11, 1945 after crossing the IJssel River. He was shipped back to Canada in June of 1945 and put on convalescent leave for many months. He was eventually discharged from the military hospital in Regina, Saskatchewan on February 19, 1949.
After returning from the war, Harry worked at the Quaker Oats Company Mill in Saskatoon until 1952. He then moved to Prince Albert where he took up employment with the Prince Albert Gaol for Men. During Harry's time with Corrections Canada, he met and married his wife who was the warden's secretary at the Gaol. They were married on March 2, 1954 and had two children while they lived in Prince Albert.
Harry worked in various capacities with both the Provincial and Federal governments until 1967 when he and he and his wife became owner-operators of a grocery and meat store with Shell gas service, Baycroft Family Fair, in Martensville, Saskatchewan.
While living in Martensville from 1966 to 1978, Harry served as both Mayor (Overseer) and councillor. In 1966 he assisted the hamlet of Martensville to incorporate to Village status. During this time, he was also a member of the school board, served as the President of the Martensville Auditorium Association, ran a small real estate business, and served as a building inspector for the town and rural municipality.
When the family store closed in 1973, Harry went on to work at Empire Meats in Saskatoon, and for a time worked as the Head Shepherd at the University of Saskatchewan in the sheep barns. It was during this period that Harry became interested in the Farmer's Market movement in Saskatchewan.
In 1975 he became one of the founding members of the Saskatoon Farmer's Market (originally called the Toad Lane Farmer's Market). From 1978 to 1988 he served in the capacity of Co-ordinator and Manager for the Farmer's Markets Associations of Saskatchewan. During his tenure in that role he set up over 40 new markets province-wide throughout Saskatchewan. At the time of his retirement from the Association, the sales across the province were estimated to be more than $2 million dollars annually.
Following his retirement from the Association, Harry and his wife moved to New Zealand where their daughter and her children had been living for approximately 7 years. They took up residence on the Pouto Peninsula on the west coast of the North Island near Dargaville. They lived in a rural setting on the Peninsula until Alice's passing in 1999, when Harry moved closer to town and eventually into the community of Dargaville.
Throughout his busy life, Harry was actively involved in volunteer work both in Canada and New Zealand. His volunteer contributions included the 4H movement in Saskatchewan, the Prince Albert and Saskatoon Exhibition Boards, the Lions Clubs in Saskatoon, an elder with the United Church of Canada, Scouts Canada, and The Boys and Girls Clubs of Canada. In his retirement, his volunteer work continued in New Zealand where he was an active member of the Dargaville Pakeke Lions Club and the Dargaville Returned Services Association. As a Lions member, he spearheaded a "Make Work Project" to assist men who were under court order to perform community service. Harry regularly visited many house-bound and hospitalized sick and elderly in the community of Dargaville and was the chair of the RSA's welfare committee. His most famous volunteer contribution to Dargaville and district was as the community's resident Santa Claus from 1995 until 2016. In his "Santa" persona, Harry attended hundreds of events over the years, and has been the subject of many local and national news articles and media stories in New Zealand.
Predeceased by:
his beloved wife Alice in 1999,
siblings: Ilda Christensen, Dorothy Bischoff, Melville (Mary), and Jack;
brother-in-law Peter Mervold (Jean);
sister-in-law: Lorraine Baycroft (Jack);
Alice's siblings Allan, Flora, Ike (Fran), and Alex Burgess.
A private Cremation Service was held for Harry on June 9, 2018. His ashes will be interred next to his wife in the Mount Wesley RSA Cemetery, Dargaville, New Zealand.
Parents: Dalton and Anne Baycroft (nee Neufeld).
Wife Alice Ruth Burgess [4866]
Born: 20 Nov 1925 - Prince Albert, Prince Albert Census Division, Saskatchewan, Canada 1
Christened:
Died: 14 Jul 1999 - New Zealand
Buried: - New Mount Wesley RSA Cemetery, Dargaville, Kaipara District, Northland, New Zealnd
FamilySearch ID: GR4W-63Z
Find A Grave ID: 191857404
Children
1 M Henry Allen Baycroft [4867] (details suppressed for this person)
Born:
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
2 F Margaret Ann Baycroft [4868] (details suppressed for this person)
Born:
Christened:
Died:
Buried:
Burial Notes: Wife - Alice Ruth Burgess
Inscription
1939-1945 W317515 LAW
Alice R Baycroft
R.C.A.F.
Died 14.7.1999
Aged 73 years