Gregory 'Greg' Hawley
Born: February 24th, 1956
Passed in: New Waterford, Nova Scotia, Canada
Passed on: October 21st, 2011
On Oct. 21, 2011, we lost our husband, father, uncle, cousin and friend, Gregory Joseph ‘Greg’ Hawley, 55, at home in New Waterford.
Born Feb. 24, 1956, he was a son of the late Harold and Tena (Chiasson) Hawley.
Greg was an active member of our community, volunteering time and talent to various fund raising concerts. He, along with his band Tapestry, provided years of fun and joy at dances from one end of Cape Breton to the other. Greg also had a soft spot for Christmas Daddies and Combined Christmas Giving and was only too willing to volunteer for these events. He will be missed by all who knew him.
Greg was a graduate of St. Francis Xavier Junior College in Sydney with a certificate in chemical engineering. He went on to work at Internav in Sydport for 11 years. Following this he was employed with Micronav for seven years and then Atlantic Electronics in North Sydney until his retirement.
At the early age of 15, Greg began his professional career in music with the help of Pius and Kevin Burke playing their first dance. In the same year, Stan ‘Sam’ and Bob joined the group called ‘The Chosen Few’ playing the local circuit for seven years. The group disbanded over work commitments but Greg and Pius carried on for the next 17 years with the band called Tapestry. After the Tapestry years, Greg continued as a solo act for the next 10 years, playing special events for charity and community gatherings. Greg was a gifted musician and a gifted friend.
Greg was also a skilled baseball player in his youth. He was an intelligent pitcher with pinpoint control and a feared hitter. He played on many teams that won provincial and maritime baseball titles.
In 1968, Greg led the Police Club Mets to the New Waterford little league championship and also was presented with the league’s most valuable player award.
In 1971 he captained the New Waterford Kinsmen Rovers to an Eastern Canadian Bantam baseball title, and pitched a two hitter in the final game against a strong Montreal team. He also picked up the tournament’s most valuable pitcher award. He and the members of the Kinsmen Rovers team were honoured this past year at the Coal Bowl and Greg enjoyed seeing old friends and reminiscing about the past.
Greg won two Midget Provincial titles in 1972 and 1973. His finest game as a pitcher came in ‘73 during an extra inning game against the Sydney Steel Kings in the Cape Breton Midget finals. He pitched all 18 innings to secure the win and then led the New Waterford team to a provincial title against Dartmouth.
He was a member of the Glace Bay Mark Ten junior team when they played the Cuban national team in the mid seventies. The Cubans, not used to Cape Breton summers, lit a fire in the dugout to keep warm.
His last championship team was the New Waterford Dodgers, winning an Atlantic Intermediate ‘A’ baseball title in 1986.
Greg also enjoyed playing hockey and was a strong Montreal Canadiens fan. Other hobbies included golf, fishing and hunting. He was especially fond of going on cruises with his wife, Cathy.
Left to mourn are his wife, Cathy (Little) Hawley; daughter, Jacqueline (Ian) Townsend; Lingan; brothers-in-law, Ray MacIsaac, New Waterford, David (Sharon) Little, Dominion, Dwight (Francine) Little, Dominion, Scott (Cheryl) Little, Slave Lake, Alta.; sisters-in-law, Joanne (George) MacDonald, Glace Bay, Karen MacKinnon, New Waterford; parents-in-law, Dave (Viola) Little, New Waterford; uncle Bernard ‘Butch’ Chiasson, New Waterford; niece Raylene (Shannon) MacLeod; grandnephew Andrew and grandniece Erynn along with several other nieces and nephews; many cousins and his extended family; very special friend, Pius Burke. Greg was the last surviving member of his immediate family.
Besides his parents, Greg was predeceased by a sister Patricia ‘Patsy’ MacIsaac.
Visitation will be held Monday, Oct. 24, from 2-4 and 7-9 p.m. at V.J. McGillivray Funeral Home, 380 Smith St., New Waterford. A funeral mass of celebration for Greg will take place 10 a.m. Tuesday, Oct. 25 at the Parish Church of St. Leonard, Mount Carmel Avenue, with Fr. Ray Huntley officiating and Rev. Duncan Roach concelebrating. Cremation will follow with burial at Forest Haven Memorial Gardens, Sydney, at a later date. A luncheon will be held at St. Leonard’s Parish Hall, Convent Street, New Waterford, immediately following the funeral mass.
Donations in his memory may be made to the Canadian Diabetes Association, Canadian Cancer Society or the Maple Hill Manor.
Online expressions of sympathy may be sent to the family at: www.vjmcgillivray.ca.
