Obituary of George Walford
George Walford, well-known Nova Scotian artist, of Port Williams, passed away on December 20, 2020 at home with his wife Heather Hemming and daughter Deborah Hemming by his side after a fifteen-month journey with pancreatic cancer.
Born in Bedford, England, George was a creative, tender, funny, generous and loving person with a smile that lit up every room. He was an amazing partner to Heather and father to Deborah. He had a wide circle of dear friends and touched many people. George liked to say “there are no dress rehearsals” and he never stopped celebrating each day, appreciating every tiny, beautiful moment life had to offer. He dedicated his life to creating evocative art, hard work, admiring nature, reading good books, and listening to wonderful music. He was as proud to say he grew up in a pub as he was to say he had seen The Beatles perform live twice at the local corn exchange in Bedford (prior to their worldwide fame).
George was a talented visual artist who came to Canada in 1969 at the invitation of Mitchell Franklin who met George on the Bayswater Road in London where George, fresh out of art college, was selling his paintings on the wall of Hyde Park. While George concentrated on realism in his early work, capturing Nova Scotia landscapes, he is best known as an abstract, mixed-media artist. He was also co-creator of Tangled Garden (Grand Pré) with Beverly McClare.
George accepted his cancer diagnosis with incredible calm and bravery. He was grateful for the medical support he received, especially from friend Dr. Lois Bowden and his palliative care team Paulette Bennet and Dr. Karen Burch.
George will be lovingly remembered forever by his wife Heather Hemming; daughter Deborah Hemming (Geoffrey Whitehall); sister Julie Stacey; brother-in-law Martin Stacey; and sister-in-law Deborah Smith (James O'Hagan). George will also be missed by his son John; grandsons George and Ryan; step-son Matthew and countless dear friends.
A Celebration of George’s life will be held at a later time. To honour George’s life, please consider donating by clicking directly on the following link (as this is not available under the donations tab) to the Valley Regional Hospital Foundation - Carry Me Fund: “Carey Me” – Supporting Palliative Care in the Home (www.vrhfoundation.ca/carey-me) or by planting a tree in your garden. Arrangements have been entrusted to Serenity Funeral Home, 34 Coldbrook Village Park Dr., Coldbrook, NS, B4P 1B9 (902-679-2822).
