| Notes |
- Obituary:
Hargrove, Basil Kenneth - Age 72 , of Melbourne, Australia passed away peacefully in Darwin, Australia on October 26, 2023. Basil was born and raised in Bath, New Brunswick, Canada. He was the loving son of Bernard and Polly (Giberson) Hargrove, loving father to Josh, Sommer and Jana, loving father in law and good friend to Ania and Adrian, loving grandfather to Ethan, Ned, Lily, John and Sophie and loving brother to Gregor (deceased), Jennifer, Gus, Hilery, Jaye, Larry, Cheryl (deceased), Jeff, Darren, Heidi and Jill.
Basil was successful in most of the things he did in life. He brought a unique energy and passion to his endeavors which made them seem effortless and enjoyable. Even in high school we could see the accomplishments that would define his life.
Basil lived a full life, filled with adventures that he shared with friends and family. And as a result, was widely loved and respected. He cherished his small town roots from growing up near the Monquart stream and continued to appreciate all the good things and good people who came into his life. He made the most of every opportunity that life provided and never waited until they landed in his lap. Basil sought out new challenges and new destinations and remained energized by constant learning.
As a teenager he was involved with the small businesses that Bernard and Polly developed, including a private hydroelectric dam. Basil was a gifted athlete with significant accomplishments, most notably in track and field and basketball. He set provincial records for high jump and pole vault, with his age group’s provincial pole vault record unbroken for more than 40 years. He and Marilyn Gould, his high school sweetheart, married as teenagers and they raised three wonderful children together.
He was the valedictorian of his graduating class of Bath High School, graduated from the University of New Brunswick and York University, where he completed his Master’s degree in Business Administration. He applied his education and enjoyed a long, successful career with McCain Foods, which began in Canada and eventually led him to become the Managing Director responsible for McCain’s operations in the Asia Pacific region. Basil and his family transferred from Canada to Australia with McCain Foods, settling first in Ballarat before relocating to Melbourne. Among his many business accomplishments with McCain’s, Basil oversaw the construction of new factories, acquisitions of other business and substantial organic business growth before his retirement in 2006.
Basil was an eternal optimist. Any lemon that life gave him was just a little bit of work away from being the most delicious lemonade. Basil was diagnosed with a life threatening illness in 2020 and he handled it the way he handled everything in his life. He learned about the illness, he planned how he would manage it to the best of his ability, he involved his family whom he loved so dearly, and he continued to make plans so that everyday could be as meaningful as he envisioned it should be. He tackled that diagnosis with energy and determination. When treatment options were exhausted, he continued to run his race as well as he could. He enjoyed every possible moment with his family and shared his adventures and adventurous spirit with his children and grandchildren. Basil could not have been prouder of his family and grand children.
Basil died while on a new adventure. He was travelling to the Northern Territory of Australia with his daughter Jana and was busy enjoying life and planning new adventures until the very end.
We loved Basil. We loved the way he participated in our lives, the way we laughed with him. We admired him. We respected him. We will miss him very much. A memorial service will be arranged in Melbourne in the coming weeks.
https://www.gibersonfuneraldirectors.ca/obituaries/173405
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People of Carleton County, New Brunswick
1951 - 2023 (72 years)
