Mavis Harmer
Published 10:50 on 26 Feb 2025
The Club has received the very sad news that Mavis Harmer has passed away in Edmonton, Canada shortly before her 95th birthday. Mavis was the widow of John Harmer. John founded our Club in 1961. He then became our first Commodore with Mavis as his "first lady".
John retired as Commodore of the Club in April 1964 when he, Mavis, and their two children emigrated to Canada. Sadly, John passed away in April 2014, one month after his ninetieth birthday. About a year later, Mavis moved from Windsor, Ontario, where she and John had lived, 2,000 miles northwest to live with her daughter in Edmonton, Alberta.
Despite being 4,000 miles away, John and Mavis always maintained contact with Seafarers. They watched as it continued to develop as a family-oriented club where training, sailing, and social activities took place in a safe and friendly environment. They supported this by sending generous donations. After John's passing, Mavis stayed in touch with the Club and continued sending donations. Amongst many other projects, John and Mavis's donations have helped to provide binoculars, an 'Honorary Members' board, a patio awning, new sails, and five Club dinghies.
The online archives of Seafarers Sailing Club includes several pages on the Club's history (here). Section 1 describes how and why John set up the Club. Section 8 provides some background on the founding family.
On behalf of all members, the Club has passed on condolences to Mavis' family and is making a donation to her favourite charity, Guide Dogs for the Blind
John and Mavis Harmer will be forever remembered at Seafarers; they are part of the Club's DNA.
The picture below illustrates happier times. It was taken from a video of Club members wishing Mavis a happy 90th birthday in 2020 - available to view here. The group is standing behind a Fusion dinghy which Mavis' generous donations helped the Club to buy.
Last updated 09:51 on 24 April 2025
