Community reacts to passing of Howard Dill

By Jennifer Hoegg

The Hants Journal/NovaNewsNow.com

Windsor’s flag fluttered at half-mast last week as the town mourned the passing of its Pumpkin King. Howard Dill, 73, pumpkin grower, hockey historian, business owner and family man, passed away Tuesday, May 20, as the result of inoperable liver cancer May 20.

Provincial media trickled into town through the day to cover the passing of Windsor’s legendary farmer. Community members paused to remember the man and his achievements.

Mayor Anna Allen, who counted Dill as a friend, said Howard would be missed by many in Windsor and beyond. “He put us on the map in a big way -- not just nationally, but internationally -- but he was still just a local boy. It’s felt as a great loss.”



Grew into thriving business

Since his 1979 International Pumpkin Association weigh-off win, Dill has been a world-renowned grower of giant gourds. Howard Dill Enterprises, run from the family farm in Windsor, distributes pumpkin seeds worldwide.

Dill Atlantic Giant seeds helped spread the giant pumpkin craze worldwide. Pumpkins have expanded, too. The 1979 winner was 438 pounds; the 2007 world champion weighed in at 1,689 lbs.

Son Danny continues to operate the successful venture from the College Road farm. “They’re global; it’s very impressive,” fellow businessman Jeff Redden of Windsor Home Hardware commented.

Redden’s respect for Dill stems from a certain kinship. “They have a family business, just as we do… There is a certain pride in a family business, especially when it is passed down to the next generation. I have always connected to Howard because of that tie.”

More than business tied the two families together, Redden noted. “Howard was a good friend of my dad’s. They had a connection through their love of hockey and their community. Both Danny and I learned from our fathers in giving back to the community.”

Home Hardware pays tribute to Howard Dill this year on a national level, with the debut of a warm, orange paint colour dubbed “Dill’s Atlantic Giant.” Redden shared the news and an advance copy of the paint brochure with Dill a few weeks ago. “Howard, as he always is, was humbled, but was honoured and thrilled to see it.”

Little town, big pumpkins

Pumpkin-powered tourism is a big part of Windsor’s year. Many Nova Scotians’ jack-o-lanterns hail from the Dill farm, where Howard would greet families and children each October as they picked the perfect pumpkin.

The pull of pumpkins extends the area’s tourist season through the harvest -- with the Windsor-West Hants Pumpkin Festival adding to the thrills since 1999.

Windsor Community Development, Tourism and Recreation director, pumpkin regatta coordinator and family friend VanEssa Roberts said Dill’s death was “a sad day, personally and professionally.

“It’s quite amazing the impact that one person has had, not only on this town, but on Nova Scotia,” Roberts said.

Mayor Allen agreed he would be missed at the annual weigh-off and regatta. “It’s because of him we have those events. (But) he brought more tourists (to Windsor) than any event.”

Hockey memories

Hockey was Dill’s other passion. His farm is home to Long Pond, which is a storied site of early hockey matches, and a large collection of hockey memorabilia.

Windsor Hockey Heritage Society president Paula Lunn names Dill “one of the key hockey historians in the world” and credits him for enabling Windsor’s claim to the title “Birthplace of Hockey.”

Lunn noted, “I wouldn’t be in this position if not for the facts, figures and information that Howard Dill presented.”

Lunn said that, while many have boasted of Windsor’s role in hockey’s history, Dill acted. “Howard made a difference. He did something about it on a global scale.

“He was excited about history and the footprint of history and hockey history that we have here in Windsor,” she said. “He was very cognizant of how one would go about ensuring others were aware of the history.”

For hockey tourists, the Dill farm is a key stop on any visit to the area. Lunn said Hockey Heritage Museum staff felt comfortable sending interested visitors to Dill, with no qualms about how they would be welcomed. “We were fortunate to have him here as a resource. (His death is) a great loss to Windsor; it’s a great loss for hockey, as well.”

Kindness to family, friends and strangers

“He was a wonderful family man,” Lunn said of Dill. “In everything that he did, his close family was involved. It’s wonderful to see that.

“He was a real people person,” Allen said. “Always genuinely interested in what was going on.”

Roberts recounted stories of Dill’s warm generosity towards visitors. When guests told tales of their own relatives’ hockey playing years, Dill would disappear for a moment, returning with a memento of that player’s career or team. He often offered copies of such family treasures to the visitor.

Dill should be remembered for much more than his passions for pumpkins and hockey, Roberts noted. “We always think about ‘Howard Dill, The Pumpkin King,’ but he’s a husband, a dad, a grandfather, an uncle and a friend. He had a very kind heart and a generous spirit.”