Obituary of HORACE HACKETT

HORACE HACKETT On Saturday, September 19, 2020, Horace Hackett, loving husband and father, died at the age of 84. Horace was born on February 15, 1936 in San Fernando, Trinidad and Tobago, to Olga (Cortes) and Ambrose Hackett. He enjoyed his childhood with his siblings Cynthia, Patrick and Rodney, and graduated from Presentation College in 1955 before immigrating to Winnipeg in 1959. He studied at Red River College, where he earned a Mechanical Engineering Diploma. During the summers he worked as a sleeping car porter with CN Rail, which gave him the opportunity to travel throughout Canada. He went on to graduate from United College with a Bachelor of Science. Horace married Lisa Daniels, a lovely teacher originally from Jamaica, in 1969. Their daughter Leslie was born in 1974 and son Brian came along in 1979. The family enjoyed many summer vacations in Canada, the U.S., Trinidad and Jamaica. Horace’s love of photography began during one of these trips, to the 1976 Olympics in Montreal. He was an avid photographer for the rest of his life, and an active member of the Manitoba Camera Club. He also enjoyed sports, his favourites being cricket and golf. Many hours were spent on the pitch in Assiniboine Park and at Kingswood, his favourite course. He loved the Winnipeg Blue Bombers and was elated to see their 2019 Grey Cup win. Horace was active in the West Indian community, as a member of the Caribbean-Canadian Association of Manitoba, and a volunteer in Folklorama’s Cari-Cana pavilion. A true Trinidadian, he loved calypso. He also loved jazz and amassed a large vinyl collection. Horace worked as an Instructor in Technical Communications at Red River College for 22 years until his retirement in 1998. He was a respected teacher and colleague who took his work very seriously. After retirement, he and Lisa traveled to England, France, Italy, Germany, India, South Africa, Australia and New Zealand. Horace’s beautiful photographs document their experiences. His faith was very important to him. He joined Christ the King Parish in the early 1980s, eventually serving the community as a member and Grand Knight of the Knights of Columbus. His faith gave him strength and comfort at the end of his life as he endured prostate cancer. Horace was preceded in death by his parents and sisters Victoria and Cynthia. He is survived by his brothers Patrick and Rodney, his wife Lisa, children Leslie (Matt) and Brian, his granddaughter Evelyne, many nieces and nephews and extended family members. In all areas of Horace’s life, he highly valued the connections and friendships he made with people. He was warm and dignified, with a love of learning and a sense of humour. He loved reminiscing and liming with friends from Trinidad. He made many close friends in Winnipeg, through his various activities. He cherished time with his family, especially his granddaughter Evelyne. He reaped the benefits of these connections, receiving support from family and friends as he reached the end of his life. On Horace’s behalf, his family expresses gratitude to all the Home Care workers who cared for him. Thanks also to everyone at Seine River Retirement Residence, CancerCare Manitoba, Health Sciences Centre, St. Boniface Hospital Palliative Care, Riverview Health Centre and Grace Hospice. A private service will be held, due to health precautions. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to CancerCare Manitoba.