Family treasures memories of the Pumpkin King

By Nadine Armstrong

The Hants Journal/NovaNewsNow.com

As people around the globe mourn the loss of the Howard Dill, the Pumpkin King, his family looks back on a greater legacy -- that of husband, father and grandfather.

Just days after his death, freshly turned soil at the College Road farm shows the promise of more big pumpkins to come. But there was a time the homestead was a working farm like any other, and where Dill reigned first as king of his children’s hearts.

“We thought we had the life of Riley,” son Andrew Dill said of his childhood. “Back then, there probably wasn’t a big livelihood from the farm, but we didn’t know that; we thought we had it all.”

From collecting and washing eggs to picking apples with Dad on frosty mornings, each of the four Dill children had their chores. And Andrew said that was the best education any child could have received.

“Dad was strict but he was also very kind hearted,” Andrew said. “He always left time for us to play. He would tell us, ‘get that done and do a good job,’ and we knew once we were finished it was our time.” Play at the Dill farm was as grand affair that often involved pig races behind the barn.

And when the giant squash did make an appearance, they provided a unique stage for imaginative children. “At that age, we had no idea they were special,” Andrew said. “We never realized how big it would become; it was just something that was always here.”

Reputation grew

As the giant gourds grew in magnitude, so did Dill’s reputation, which drew visitors from all over to the family farm. “It was just amazing to meet so many different people and hear the stories passed down,” Andrew said. “We all learned so much about hockey, business and agriculture. Dad put us in touch with so many people; we never knew who would show up.”

Despite Dill’s successes, Andrew said his father never put himself on a pedestal. “There were so many people who wanted to learn from him, and he always took the time.” It didn’t matter the age, Andrew said, his father would speak as earnestly to a 12 year-old as he would to a seasoned farmer.

The farm and family came first for Dill. “He always stuck close to home,” Andrew said. Christmas, in particular, was a time Andrew remembers well. “Dad always made Christmas special, we would walk back to the woods with him and cut a tree every year.” He recalls returning to the farm on those occasions frostbitten and cold, but very happy.

“We’d be frozen from head to toe, but I’d sit down on one of the registers to warm back up.” Andrew remembered with humor the one time his father cut a cat spruce for the Christmas tree. “It was really pretty, but, man, it stank.”

Memories stick

Haying season was also a time to gather family together at the Dill farm. “We always knew when hay season came it would be a long, hot few weeks,” Andrew said. But everyone would pitch in with the promise from Dill of a cold brew at the end of the day.

Those are the memories that stick, Andrew said, that and his father’s love of the game. “Dad would quiz me at the end of the day; he had an encyclopedic memory for stats.” Although Dill was a great hockey enthusiast, he also shared his love of baseball with Andrew. “Dad was like that, he’d find a way to connect with us individually, and for me it was the Red Sox.”

At the end of the day, Dill’s sporting heroes didn’t let him down. One of his favorite players, Sydney Crosby of the Pittsburg Penguins, sent Dill a signed picture before his death, and hockey great Milt Schmitt of the Boston Bruins called him in hospital to chat just weeks ago. Bruce Hood, the famed NHL referee who had once visited the farm, also sent condolences.

Right until that last moment, all four children remained at their father’s side. “I held his hand right to the end,” Andrew said. “We were together with him all the way.”

Suffered a fall

Wife Hilda Dill had recently suffered a fall that resulted in a broken shoulder and made any movement painful. Yet, Andrew noted, she was able to spend private time with her husband during his last days in hospital. “Mom has always been a very strong woman,” Andrew said.

Family members say they are moved by the show of support since their father’s death. “People from all over the world have been sending condolences. It’s amazing to see how many people he has touched,” said daughter Maureen.

Dill was able to spend some time at home prior to his last stay at the Hants County Community Hospital, and the family said he spent that time doing what he loved.

“He’d be out there with his walker, pruning the apple trees,” Andrew said. As for those pumpkins waiting to break ground, Dill had his hand in that aspect, as well. “He did a heck of a lot in a short time.”

Words from palliative care nurse Bev Little still touch Andrew. “She told me when he passed on that he wasn’t an icon because of the pumpkins and hockey, but because of his determination. That meant a lot to me.”

But Howard Dill will never really be gone; he’s left an eternal mark on Hants County and the farm that started it all. “He isn’t gone,” Andrew said. “He’s still here and he’ll be watching over us and making sure we grow the big one.”