Obituary of James Edward Hadley

It is with broken hearts we announce the passing of James “Jimmy” Hadley. Jimmy had many nicknames over the years such as Jim the Bearcat and Jim the Tin Fiddler but his favorite name of all was dad and papa.

Jimmy was born on January 12, 1950 in Antigonish and lived his entire life in Mulgrave until his passing at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital on Monday, December 18, 2023 with his family by his side. Jimmy was the second born of ten to the late Harry & Hortense Hadley. He is survived by his loving wife of 49 years Mary (MacEachern) Hadley, sons; Chad (Barb), Clinton (Tracy), daughters; Jessica (Adam) Rondelet, Brittany (Ben) Chaisson and grandchildren; Luke, Blake, Kristen, Austin, Emerson, Elliana, and Avery.  He is also survived by his sisters; Millie, Gwen (Ernie), brothers; Tommy (Lorraine), Ralph (Beryl), Steve (Lana), Darrell (Debbie), Mike (Valerie), Eric (Liz), and Bradley (Paula) and a large extended family.

Jimmy lived a simple life and kept to himself but his gentle demeanor, stories and wit naturally drew people to him. He was content with staying close to home, taking shore drives, reading Louis L’Amour books and listening to country songs. His purpose was Mary, his kids and grandkids. He was our perpetual worrier. His family kept him going. He was our “go to “ for advice and our confidant. He was Chad & Clinton’s right hand man, Brittany’s duet/dance partner and Jessie’s knowledge keeper but best of all he was everyone’s story teller. This was his gift, his memory was sharp and he provided such great detail, some may argue he was known to stretch the truth a time or two. He told stories of his glory days of playing ball with the Mulgrave Eagles, his beloved horses, hunting and other stories that should only be told around the kitchen table.

Jimmy & Mary’s struggle with lung disease began a number of years ago and in the last several months Jimmy reserved all his strength to provide tender care to Mary at home until she went to hospital. Jimmy never gave up the fight until his last breath. We hope you finally caught your breath dad and no longer have to struggle.

The family would like to extend their appreciation and thanks to the Guysborough County Home Support Agency and the palliative care team at home and hospital. A family graveside burial will take place at 3:15 p.m., Saturday, January 20, 2024 at St. Lawrence Parish Cemetery, Mulgrave and a public Celebraton of Life will follow at the Mulgrave Fire Hall . Words of comfort may be forwarded to the family at www.haverstocks.com