Tribute

Harold Mercer of Chemainus, Vancouver Island — born in Topsail, Conception Bay, Newfoundland — passed away on April 21, 2026, at the age of 79. The Codfather has officially left the building.

Harold was the son of Harold and Mary “Maude” Mercer, and the eldest brother to Francis (John), Patricia (Tom), Theresa (Dave), and George (Terry). He spent his early decades in Newfoundland and Labrador before heading north to Faro, Yukon in the 1980s, then eventually settling on Vancouver Island, with a few strategic returns to Newfoundland and the Northwest Territories whenever work (or the backyard budget) demanded it.

He and his wife Donna (“Bun”) were married for 58 years — a partnership built on loyalty, humour, and more than a few competitive card games. He leaves behind his children Tammy (Mike) and Terry (Kim), and his grandchildren Trevor, Malcolm, Isaac, and Amelia, all of whom inherited at least some combination of his intelligence, stubbornness, and ability to deliver a perfectly timed sarcastic remark.

Harold spent over 30 years working in human resources in both the mining and forestry sectors, earning the rare distinction of being respected by union and management alike. One of his proudest accomplishments was helping rebuild trust at a workplace recovering from a deeply fractured labour dispute — a role that required patience, blunt honesty, and his trademark ability to get people talking again. Before that, he spent 13 years with the Steelworkers, serving as a union leader for 10 of those years, where his sharp mind, sharper tongue, and unshakeable opinions made him a memorable presence at any bargaining table.

Retirement never really stuck. He first tried it in 2002, but after building a massive retaining‑wall‑waterfall‑fish‑pond‑flagpole‑garden‑complex in his backyard (entirely by hand, of course), he realized he’d spent both his savings and his ability to sit still. So in 2006 he went back to work as Corporate Manager, Human Resources for Western Forest Products, where he stayed until retiring again in 2013 — this time with slightly fewer construction projects, but no fewer opinions.

Harold loved history, especially WWII, and followed politics with the enthusiasm of someone who always had a better idea of how things should be run. He and Donna travelled widely — Cuba, Mexico, Japan, and frequent trips home to Newfoundland — but he was just as happy at the card table, gleefully trash‑talking his way through a game of Texas Hold’em.

He will be interred at his family cemetery plot in Newfoundland. No service or donations are requested. His family simply asks that you remember him in your own way — perhaps by building something unnecessarily large, arguing confidently about world affairs, or winning a card game with just a little too much satisfaction.