I grew up with Harry on Sackville Street in St. James befiore he moved to Churchill. He was an outdoor man from birth. He was the first to own a snowmobile and new the back country as good as anyone. We biked, played on his Dad's armory tanks, stole neighbourhood corn from garden patches, pitched tents in our backyards, a youth well remembered. Above all he was cheerful, king, considerate and lots of fun. My memories will live on. Robert S. Stewart, Bex, Switzerland.  

Jeez Harry, Dexter?  Who knew? Such a missed opportunity to give you a hard time!   I first met Harry when I worked for a competing outdoor store across the Red River in Winnipeg. As fate would have it I ended up selling skis for the Happy O while living in a northern Manitoba town.     After HO days Harry became a sales Rep for sporting goods lines. I ended up in the same field. We reconnected at a sales meeting in the States. This was the start of a great professional relationship and personal friendship. We carried some of the same lines so shared rooms at sales meeting and trade shows.  Life as a Sales rep was hard and rewarding.  In addition to working our own territories, we would spend more than 30 days/year at sales meeting and trade shows.  One year we realized we nearly spent more time in hotel rooms together than we did with our own families.   We were roomies. We had a standing date at any trade show or sales meeting to meet at 11:00pm for a scotch in the hotel bar.   Harry’s stories and sayings: Harry would say things like “eyes as big as poached eggs” “I live on the Cereal flats where you can watch your dog run away for three days”.    He tells a great story about living in Churchill and one of his first jobs was unloading freighters at the docks.  In those days the Hudson Bay Company would ship their scotch via Churchill in wooden crates.  There always was a metal pail sitting in the unloading area. Harry wondered what it was for. Every once in a while a worker would wander over with a crate of scotch, drop it on its corner breaking one bottle. The crate was then suspended over the pail to drain its contents.  The rationale being the HBC figured some breakage was acceptable.so the workers benefitted. Pretty sure this was where Harry learned to drink Scotch.  When asked how he managed the large sales territory of NW Ontario, Manitoba and Saskatchewan his reply was like the Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy.  “I’d go out to the Perimeter and when I got there I’d decide whether to go West, East or North.” I was never sure if he was BS ing me.   Every spring this guy from the cereal flats would trek out to the Rockies and go back country skiing. We could never figure out how a guy living at 800’ of elevation could come out and ski at 7000’ without tiring.  We paddled Yukon’s Snake River, the Bloodvein, Gammon rivers seeing the wonders of Northern Canada,, caribou, moose, pictographs, , mosquitos, black flies.    I have great memories of Harry.  Margaret, Tom, Daisy and Beau our sincere condolences and big hugs!  Hugh And Cheryl Burton      

I kind of grew up at the Happy Outdoorsman, initially as a customer in my teens, then working in the shop and the sales floor through high school, college and beyond. I enjoyed many paddling, skiing and winter camping trips with Harry and the Happy O gang all over the place. I also had the great privilege of driving Harry and the crew up to Split Lake in the Happy O van loaded with gear and canoes for their great adventure up the Thlewiaza River to Hudson's Bay.  Much later, as a sales rep for an international theatre lighting company, I was delighted to be seated beside Harry on a flight home from Toronto and we talked about family and old friends the entire flight and even though it was late on a Friday night, Harry insisted on driving me home so we could grab another 45 minutes to catch up!  My condolences to Margaret, Tom, Beau and Daisy for the loss of the kindest guy I know!      

"Extreme BBQ'ing" My favorite Line from a very dear friend, confident and surrogate father as we navigated our business over the last 37 years. Harry & Margaret were always so kind to entertain us at his home or at the old office on Brooklyn Street while doing The North Face Bookings. Harry attended many of our Tent Sales at Tent Central in Thunder Bay where we had over 100 tents set up in a baseball outfield in the most extreme weekends. Your memories have graced us and we look forward to celebrating your life. God Bless. Jon & Sandra Wynn 

After teaching canoeing & cross country skiing and organizing many winter and summer outdoor excursions I landed my most favorite job ever. It was at The Happy Outdoorsman I had the priviledge of meeting and working with Harry Stimson. It was here that I learned all that I could and more about outdoor equipment. Coming to work with Harry and his easy going personality made coming to the job acutally fun.  My time at The Happy Outdoorsman was two years that seemed like a lifetime. Even after I left my heart was still with the store and the people like Harry who worked there. Over the years I would meet Harry and that friendly smile on a lake somewhere. I would meet him and his lovely wife Margaret just by chance when they were out for dinner at Viva's restaurant enjoying Vietnamese food. Once again there was that smile and friendly Hello. I only had the chance to meet Tom a few times but he and Margaret always held a special spot in Harry's heart. When I heard that Harry was ill with cancer I started to  follow his blog. Once again I had to admire his strength and positive attitude throughout this ongoing journey. As strong as he was I can only imagine that as the end came he was tired. I will carry my memories of Harry for a lifetime. I want to send my condolences to Margaret and Tom and those precious grandchildren Beau nad Daisy. Rest in Peace Harry. You certainly deserve it. Your legacy will caarry on for a long time.

For me guys do not have a lot of BEST friends, We have lots of friends but BEST friends are precious I have one…. Harry Stimson. But who knew his name was Henry. And who knew he had so many BEST friends. We are so lucky I have this vision of Harry paddling his solo canoe around the next bend. Although I am in no rush to catch him this time, I do know when I round the bend Harry will be on the shore with the firewood gathered, the bug tent set up and a dram scotch, because that is what BEST friends do. Harry never bragged about himself but he sure bragged about his friends and his love of Margaret, Tom, Beau and Daisy. When Harry knew his time was limited he spend that time preparing his friends for their loss. Typical of Harry thinking of his friends.  Henry “Harry” Dexter Stimson made difference in this world and in mine

I have fond memories of the times we were able to spend together. The kindness of Harry and his parents Uncle Tommy and Aunt Sis left a lasting impression in my heart. I will always admire your family’s sense of adventure, including the difficult canoe trip you took up into Gurney Lake named after our grandfather who died in World War I. I am sure Harry is already off on a new adventure, sharing his love and kindness.  ❤ Sending caring thoughts during this very difficult time. 

Having first met Harry back in his Happy Outdoorsman days, we reconnected more recently during a time of personal grave concern as I was facing the unknown road of Prostate cancer treatment. His experience and counsel was invaluable and deeply appreciated. I will continue to try and pass on this knowledge and understanding to other men facing this serious health dilemma. Remembering always Harry's open hand of friendship and support with gratitude.       

Growing up in Manitoba as a skier there was no way I could not know who Harry Stimson was and when I moved west his notoriety followed him. I met Harry in person through Bucky who like him is another outdoor legend from Manitoba. Before we met I heard many fun Harry stories, most involving the Happy O and gear of some sort. This photo of Harry in one of his boats was taken on the Sturgeon Weir in 2009. I have fond memories of my time with Harry.  My thoughts are with Margaret and Tom and the grandchildren who will never find another man quite like Harry. 

I first learned about a fellow named Harry Stimson in the 1970s, through his advocacy of protecting natural areas in southeastern Manitoba, his association with the Manitoba Naturalists Society, and later with his company, The Happy Outdoorsman. We finally met when he agreed to serve as the Outdoor Editor on the volunteer board for Manitoba Nature Magazine. His knowledge of Nature and how to enjoy the great outdoors made for fascinating articles. We lost track of each other for a number of years until we both began attending Bob Williams' annual 'Meeting of the Minds' get-together in northwestern Ontario, at which time our common interests brought us close again. Lively discussions during hikes through the boreal forest, and at mealtimes and firesides revealed his awareness of (and strongly help opinions on) a broad array of topics. I found his recounting of experiences about his early years at Churchill were particularly fascinating, also likely the origin for his support of Indigenous peoples' rights. Back in Winnipeg, Harry, a few other friends, and I went on enjoyable walks in parks and local neighbourhoods, completing each morning visit over coffee and baking. It was then that I learned about Harry's interest in skating, and so we became regular skating partners, encouraging an even closer friendship and providing regular opportunities to talk about issues of the day. The positive way Harry managed his decades-long challenge with prostate cancer astounded me and his numerous friends, and his willingness to support others fighting the same disease was so typical of Harry. I know his blog and leaflet on the subject helped so many others. I was fortunate to be invited to visit Harry two days before he slipped away, and his mind and sense of humour were as sharp as ever. I will always treasure our close friendship, and the special times we shared together. Harry, I still hear your special laugh, and the swish of your skates beside me, each time I go skating, and I smile. Margaret and Tom, I hope your lifetime of memories with Harry will help you to deal with the loss of such a special family member.

My sister Pam and I had the privilege of meeting Harry during our trip to Winnipeg from Australia in 2019. The few times we spent with Harry were always filled with fun, laughter and great conversation. We loved hearing Harry’s stories and watching the tremendous bond Harry shared with our cousin Jim and his wife Sophie. Priceless! Sending our sincere condolences, love, hugs and kisses to Margaret and family during this very sad time.  Love Kaye and Pam xx

Harry the Grumman canoe salesman for the Happy O rolled into my tiny store in 1973. We immediately hit it off with his enthusiasm about how I could sell canoes and our shared interest in the outdoors. My store went on to sell 50 Grumman canoes per year for many years. When the aluminum concept fell out of favor Harry switched us to Old Town canoes and we sold lots of those too. Of all my sales reps Harry was the only one to become part of our family. He joined us many times for suppers and visits after hours while in Prince Albert and we would visit him and Margaret when in Winnipeg. Harry you are missed by our family and will live on for ever in our memories ❤️ 

What a guy!  Harry Stimson and I both came to The Happy Outdoorsman about the same time, in the early seventies. Eventually, he would head up the wholesale division and I, the catalogue division. Along the way, we shared so many things, like guiding trips for the Manitoba Naturalists Society, working for the Atikaki Park Committee, our first names and even fatherhood – our sons, Russell and Tom, were born just a couple of weeks apart. Someone once called us ‘the terrible twins’ and there certainly was an element of sibling rivalry in our relationship, leading to some healthy debates on things like paddling technique, the best wilderness tents and whose infant could crawl faster. I never failed to learn from these debates, something that expanded my understanding and even my horizons.  The thing we shared the most was laughter – those were fun years – so, of course, we also shared a deep disappointment when The Happy Outdoorsman was laid to rest. Harry and I drifted in different directions in the quest to provide for our families and it was years later, when I was living in Calgary, that I heard his voice on a CBC radio call-in show. He was spouting off some nonsense about canoes, so I, naturally, picked up the phone. We had a pretty good reunion at the expense of the CBC listeners that afternoon and swore we would get in touch off-line. You know how that goes: it was a busy world. It wasn’t until very recently that we were back in contact on e-mail. Just like always, Harry was warm and gracious.  So, to Margaret and Tom and all Harry's friends, I say, yes, we miss him – but weren’t we lucky to have him? To Harry, I say thanks, my old friend – you made my life richer and much funnier.  Doug (Harry Douglas) McLaughlin

I’ve felt a kinship with Harry since first meeting him in the early 1960s in high school at St. James Collegiate. He had just moved back to the city from Churchill and I remember being impressed by how exotic that seemed. I saw him even then as a world traveller, not knowing how true that was to become. Over the next several years, our bond was strengthened through a variety of shared activities and interests including as classmates, teammates on our high school football team, his introducing me to the pleasures of canoeing and cross country skiing, a weekend fishing trip, countless evenings and weekends riding our snowmobiles in the country and along the Assiniboine River, and carpooling to U of M with a great group of friends from SJCI. So many fond memories. When I drove out of Winnipeg in the summer of 1970 to move to Montreal, Harry followed me in his car (a very cool MGB GT, I should add) to the Winnipeg city limits to say goodbye. Pretty special.  After I left Winnipeg our opportunities to connect became less and less but our personal connection endured. More recently, Debbie and I have been able to travel frequently through Winnipeg on our annual trips between Calgary and Nova Scotia and we invariably took advantage of the hospitality at Chez Stimson for a night or two en route. Margaret and Harry always made us welcome and we enjoyed many pleasant times over good food, strong coffee, fine wine and (in the case of Harry and me) a wee dram or two of scotch. The conversation flowed easily, often late into the evening, sharing thoughts and ideas, solving the problems of the world, or reminiscing about old times and old friends.  Our hearts go out to you Margaret, Tom, Beau and Daisy. The world would be a better place if it had more people like Harry Stimson: a kind and thoughtful man of character, intellect and wit, and most of all a good friend, loving husband, father and grandfather. We miss you, Harry, and will never forget you.  Doug Crook and Debbie Smith

I met Harry in a time of crisis. I had just been diagnosed with Prostate cancer and I was urgent to learn all I could about the disease. My searching online led me to Harry’s blog about his experience. I was grateful that he could be so generous in sharing what he was confronting while being in the middle of it. Woven into the story of his treatments I found tales of his adventures canoeing and his love of the Canadian landscape. I was intrigued and reached out. We arranged our first meeting in 2015. For seven years Harry and I continued to meet at least monthly and sometimes more. At first our conversations would focus on how we were doing with our cancer but soon our talks became much more capacious as we explored what we were reading about the disease and then more and more about our deepest passions. Harry was a good listener and very honest about what he thought. Harry was curious about the world and all the changes that were happening since he arrived in it. The thing that will always stay with me was Harry’s insistence that no human statement comes without its bias. I think we agreed that the only way to guard against our own subjectivity was to embrace it. My deepest memories will be our walks and conversations in Assiniboine Park, a place that Harry loved and one he taught me to love. Whenever I walk there now, I will hear his voice. What amazed me about Harry was his solo trips into the wilderness. His care in his preparations was thorough. He was a professional. As Harry dealt with his disease in its final stages, I kept imagining him drawing on that depth of experience that his intense solitude in nature gave him. His embrace of solitude was balanced by his gift for friendship and maintaining them. This quality I will always treasure. I am honored to have been part of his tribe of friends. My thoughts are with Margaret, Tom and family as they grieve his loss and cherish his memory.   Patrick Treacy

Pat and I would like to extend our most sincere condolences to Marg and Tom and Harry’s many friends at the loss of Harry.  Though we knew this day was coming, it’s still a shock to the system.  Harry was a giant among men; the world would be a much better place with more Harry Stimsons walking (or paddling) among us.  He had passion, honour, intelligence and wit.  I’m proud to say that Harry was my friend. What he accomplished in the face of his illness was amazing, and he did it with dignity.  Rest easy, Harry!  I expect you’re already out there in your favourite canoe, a smile on your face, finding new waters to explore; may they be smooth and warm.  Much love, Marg. You are in our hearts!     Maurice (Moe) and Pat Hogue.

Thank you Margaret & Harry for your wonderful friendship, great conversations and good food and wine.  We have not known Harry for many years but the times we have been together have been rich with laughter, good advice and such stimulating conversations.   Harry was a person you could always get outdoor advice from.  He always provided options for consideration; whether it was purchasing our canoe, travelling  backpacks or outdoor gear. Every time we do an outdoor activity Harry will be in our memory for his sage advice.   Harry and Margaret shared many topics in our conversations.  We learned about good wine, food and interesting travel and of course books, tv shows and new technology.    We were very sad when early in 2023 we heard his health situation would not be getting better.  We knew the world would lose a quality man and the loss is huge for his many friends and of course his family. We will miss Harry and are honoured and humbled to have known you.   Margaret Day & Bob Andrews

Harry,,,,,,,,,,was the real deal, So much wisdom and knowledge especially when it came to the outdoors. We had a lot of fun with and for Harry, doing the Fischer ski demo’s,  back in the day when slalom skis were 200 cm, also at Habitat at the Jimmy Carter build, No amount of words can really say, what a blessing and honour it was  to have known you,,,,,,,,,,Harry  Cheryl and Terry Barkman

As we age and come to realize that our days ahead are dwindling in number, we are thankful for the people who have touched our lives and come to be best of friends.  We share like values and interests, and we cherish moments together just for the sheer joy and pleasure of being in each other’s company.  Harry Stimson was one of those people who I valued as a friend as did many others. Looking back, we were lucky to grow up in a time of unprecedented environmental awareness and a new found eagerness to take to the outdoors.  As a volunteer with the Manitoba Naturalist Society, Harry advocated for the establishment of new parks on the east side of Lake Winnipeg and was always lobbying for the development of more outdoor recreational attractions in our parks.  He also played a major role- as joint owner of The Happy Outdoorsman - in introducing people to recreational pursuits outdoors.  The HO was all about the use of non mechanical means of exploring and enjoying the natural world- while maintaining a healthy lifestyle at the same time.  Many of us have forgotten that the HO was the place to go to get advice and purchase equipment- be it for camping, cross country skiing, hiking or canoeing.   Harry and Margaret walked the talk in the realm of canoeing-spending a chunk of their free time behind a paddle in Canadian shield country.  A deep love and admiration for wild things in wild places shaped their lives, along with son Tom, and engendered many enduring friendships. Harry and I were barely acquaintances during our volunteering stints with the Manitoba Naturalist Society and it was not until much later around 2014 that our paths crossed at a weekend retreat organized by Bob Williams to celebrate the life of our mutual friend Robert Taylor.  Now in its eleventh year the weekend retreat “The Meeting of the Minds” forged many solid friendships many of which were nurtured by auxillary walks through parks, canoe trips, visits to art exhibits and coffee bars along with skating outings. These were great times with much resolve to make the world a better place.  At my first retreat I recall praising Harry on his youthful appearance, joking about the meds he must be on.  Unbeknownst to me at that moment he was in the early stages of managing life as a prostate cancer survivor- a disease that would eventually take his life.  As chance would have, I followed the same path a few years later and found Harry’s support in dealing with the disease to be comforting and helpful. He assisted many others in a similar position often noting that the act of just listening to men talk through their feelings was useful.  Harry faced his disease head on with remarkable determination and optimism.  A man of detail who engaged an eloquent pen he documented his cancer experiences in detail on a blog that received thousands of hits- unequivocally helping patients and loved ones around the world get through some difficult times. He and friend Patrick Tracey, also a survivor, offered valuable input during the production of a leaflet from The Manitoba Prostate Cancer Support Group. The Harry I know was a quiet, intellectual thoughtful man who had a balanced and embracing  outlook on life.  He had deep convictions about human justice and equality.  He was an enlightened and caring individual who set a high bar with his chums when discussing worldly matters.  He valued friendship and took the time to keep folks with multifaceted interests- some artistic- in nurturing relationships.   He was the glue that kept us together. He was very much a family man and deeply loved Margaret and son Tom and the grandchildren.  He made sure his friends knew that matters pertaining to his health were tackled and done as a family.  This held up right to the end.  Once Harry entered palliative care we knew the end was near, but his death still hit us hard.  We all wanted a few more years of Harry in our lives and could not fathom life without him.  Toward the end we took comfort in expressing how much he was admired and loved by all who knew him.  We also feel blessed to have had him in our lives and left with so many wonderful memories.  I know the feeling was mutual.  Rest in peace my friend. .

An epic man, so fortunate to have been on the epic paddling trip of my life with Harry. My sinccerest condolences Margaret and family  Ed Loewen 

Harry repped the product line I worked for and became a friend through those years. He had that special gift of getting along with seemingly everyone. I am grateful for the years I worked with him. Condolences to the family. 

Late one evening when I was visiting from Vancouver, Harry and I started a long and very fun conversation about virtually everything! Long after everyone went to bed, Harry and I had fun chatting til about 3:30 in the morning! Special memories help me since he has moved on. ❤

It was totally awesome to get out on the water with Harry, along the Assiniboine River in Winnipeg, and the Tay River in Perth, ON. He was truly a ‘Happy Outdoorsman!’  

my thoughts and sadness are with you and your family, Margaret.