Harold Alexander McCausland

It is with deep sadness that we announce the passing of Harold McCausland. Harold passed away peacefully at home, under the loving care of his spouse, Marion, after a brief battle with lung cancer. He took his diagnosis with dignity and courage and made the most of his final months spending time with his spouse, friends and video chatting with his family who were unable to visit due to the pandemic.

Harold grew up on his family’s dairy farm in Hillsburgh, Ontario, working hard helping out with the farm chores with his two brothers. His work ethic would stay with him his whole life. He fondly remembered his mother’s vegetable garden and loved fresh food from the farm.  Harold started school in a rural one-room school house and attended the United Church where he taught Sunday school. He went to high school in the town of Erin, loved cars, and worked at a garage in his teens.

Harold attended the University of Waterloo and graduated with a bachelor’s degree in mechanical engineering in 1976. After working for a few years in Toronto, he moved west and fell in love with the wild spaces of Western Canada, the Rocky Mountains and the Pacific Coast. He joined Petro-Canada in 1980 and had a 30- year career as an oil and gas engineer, starting with their properties in northern British Columbia, then moving to the Calgary head office, then working in offshore oil in Newfoundland and then back to Calgary before he retired in 2010 as a senior engineer and team leader. After retirement he worked as an offshore oil consultant for a year. Harold and Marion were active members of the Petro-Canada Alumni Association.

In Newfoundland Harold met his spouse, Marion, where they enjoyed live music, seafood and exploring Newfoundland. Upon returning to Calgary, Harold rediscovered Western Canada and Alaska with Marion.  They enjoyed RVing and cruising and life in Calgary in their house with a view of the mountains.

Harold's hobbies were downhill skiing, curling, ATVing, fishing, camping, and travel. He enjoyed cruising the Mediterranean, the Caribbean, Hawaii, Alaska, the Panama Canal, and New Zealand and Australia. His favorites were Alaska and New Zealand. He was a fan of CFL, NFL, NHL, MLB, curling, and Formula 1 and Indy car racing and cheered for the Calgary Flames and Stampeders and the Green Bay Packers. Harold loved dogs and owned several throughout his life. He loved his ’76 Camaro that he bought after university and kept it his entire life.

Harold will be remembered as a loving, kind, generous spouse, a hard-working, intelligent and good man, a well-loved son, brother and uncle. He is predeceased by his father John; his mother Dorothy; his brother Wayne; and Marion's sister, Sandra Tilley. Harold will be missed greatly by his spouse, Marion Tilley; his brother and sister-in-law, Donald and Bernice;his sister-in-law Marilynne; Marion's sister, Joy Tilley; Marion's mother, Grace Tilley; his nieces Janet (Dean Ruddick), Tammy (Veeron Wilson), and Laura Grant (Jake); his nephew Michael (Sandy Jin); his grandnieces, Jodi, Jenna, Ava and Alexa; his grandnephew James; Marion's nieces, Amelia Hollett and Charlotte Sevigny; Marion's nephews, Henry Hollett and Cole Sevigny; as well as extended family, friends and former colleagues.

Much thanks to his family doctor, Dr. Janet Reynolds, for her special care through Harold’s illness, and to his special friend, Brian Wells for his visits and help in Harold’s final months.

If you would like to make a donation in memory of Harold, please consider donating to lung cancer research.

Celebrations of life will be held in Ontario and Newfoundland in the spring/summer of 2021 when it may be safer for the family to travel and gather after the hoped-for COVID-19 vaccine.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Harold Alexander McCausland, please visit our floral store.