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Railroader, comrade, family man.
Harry Home, 86, was a true Jasper legend - and always had a twinkle in his eye.
He died suddenly on Monday, March 30.
Home was born on May 27, 1933 to Jack and Winnifred (Bickle) Home and spent most of his growing up years in Kamloops.
Like his father before him, Home became a railroader, signing on in Boston Bar, B.C. on July 20, 1949, back when the hourly wage was 86 cents.
He came to Jasper to work for Canadian National Railway on April 1, 1953.
When asked about the old days, dates spilled off Homes' tongue without a moment’s pause. He could tell you who was on the train with him, first name, last name and nicknames included, when any number of hilarious or terrifying events took place.
Home met his wife-to-be Edna in Jasper in May 1967 and they were married on November 4 the same year.
Edna described her husband as a kind, loving, determined, tenacious and dedicated man.
“Some of our fondest memories of him are playing cards with family,” she said.
“He will be remembered as a strong community supporter, a great storyteller, and for his memory of dates and his love of travel with our Jasper group.”
Home was predeceased by their son, Tony, and grandson, Tyler, and is survived by his son Cameron and daughter Lisa, as well as three grandsons: Harry Junior, Joel and Wyatt.
Home officially retired from Canadian National Railway after 49 years, on May 14, 1998, but he remained heavily involved with the railroad.
He was co-founder and patriarch of the Rocky Mountain Rail Society and spent much of his time in his later years volunteering with the society, preserving and operating a CNR steam locomotive 6060.
After saving the historic 6060 back in the 1960s, Home served as its primary guardian, engineer and advocate for nearly 60 years - and his dedication got him selected as a member of the Canadian Railway Hall of Fame in 2002.
Kevin Quigley, president of the Rocky Mountain Rail Society, said Home’s passion for steam preservation was unparalleled.
“He is considered to be a legend within the Canadian railway community,” said Quigley.
“We will dearly miss his wisdom, leadership and enthusiasm.”
Jasper’s annual Santa Train is dubbed the ‘Harry Home Express’ after Home, and each year he would pull on his old striped engineer’s overalls and entertain the passengers.
For many Jasperites, when they think about trains or engines, they think about Home.
He would ride his bike with big handle bars to work, with his big steel lunch box, big boots, his overalls and hat, and zoom past the train station window.
And while the railroad was Home’s main passion, he was also a truly valued member of the community in Jasper.
Home served as chairman of the board of trustees for the Jasper School District in the 1970s and was a member of the Jasper Housing Development Committee. He loved hockey and softball in Jasper. He was a Freemason, the worshipful master of Jasper Park Lodge 143 - and played trombone in the Jasper Park Band for many years.
Home’s fellow Freemason, bandmate and dear old friend Sandy Robinson said he would be sorely missed.
Robinson said one of his fondest memories of Home was when the Kamloops band came to Jasper and Home joined their performance - dressed in his engineer’s overalls, of course.
And when Home first moved to Jasper, Robinson received a note from Home’s mother at his grocery store with $5 enclosed to buy a bag of oranges. Robinson stuffed a paper bag with the fruit and took them across the road to young Home, along with the card from his mom that said he should eat one every day to make sure he got enough Vitamin C.
Home was a member of the Jasper Legion for more than 60 years and the branch lowered its flag on Monday in his memory.
“The loss of Comrade Home will leave an immense void in our community, he will be missed,” said Greg Van Tighem, president of the Jasper branch.
“Let us all remember his legacy and feel pride in the fact we shared part of his journey.”
Van Tighem described Home as one of Jasper’s “most respected and dedicated citizens”. He extended his deepest sympathies to Home’s family on behalf of the executive and membership of the branch.
A celebration of Homes’ life will be held at a later date.
‘Esteemed Lunch’ depicts Harry Home with the CNR locomotive 6060, taking a moment to relax after his passengers and crew have left the scene. The piece was painted by Diane Way, whose husband Jim worked with Home on the railroads. Way described Home as a kind, passionate and generous man and “a pillar of the community”. She expressed her sincere condolences to Home’s family and friends.
