A North Bay native who achieved success in both the business and sports world died peacefully in her Owen Sound home, surrounded by her family, on Sunday, Dec. 8.
Fay Ellen Harshman (nee Rose) was 86. She was a member of the ownership team with the Ontario Hockey League's Owen Sound Attack — a main rival of the Barrie Colts — and a prominent local businesswoman as a Tim Hortons franchisee.
Harshman was born in North Bay, the youngest child in the family that was raised on a farm in Rutherglen, outside the city.
"She always shared stories of her childhood days and life on the farm. For school, she attended a one-room schoolhouse where her mother was her teacher. She also attended a bilingual school in Bonfield," says her obituary. "Her first job as a teenager was as a switchboard operator for Bell Canada.
She went on to be a switchboard operator for several private companies in the Toronto and North Bay areas.
"Fay used the adversity in her life as a springboard for greater accomplishments. Forging forward to become the first female franchisee of a Tim Hortons, and opening doors for women in an era that was unheard of," the obituary says. "She was truly a trailblazer. She was a role model encouraging and supporting other women to not let anyone or anything hold them back. 'YOU GO GIRL!' was her famous expression."
Harshman was also well known for her community involvement.
"There are countless stories of her helping others and giving them an opportunity in life to succeed," says the obituary. "Her thoughtful actions of putting others first were always pure and humble. She never needed a reward or acknowledgment, nor did she ever forget her roots. She understood the power of doing the little things that made a big difference and having the influence to do the big things to help others on a greater scale."
Harshman was also the owner, secretary and treasurer of the OHL's Owen Sound Attack. She was a driving force behind keeping the franchise in the Georgian Bay city, ultimately becoming the first woman to be involved in the ownership of an OHL franchise.
"Fay was an active and valued partner in the Owen Sound Attack ownership group, quietly lending her wisdom and guidance to the franchise through 25 years of growth," says a release on the the Attack website. "Fay’s commitment to the organization was only outmatched by her commitment to the Grey-Bruce community where her involvement and philanthropy will be part of her legacy."
In 1999, when local investors rallied to keep the Owen Sound Platers from leaving Grey-Bruce, Harshman "stepped up, committing her resources, knowledge and energy to the project despite the fact that hockey was not really her first interest.
"But her community was, and she understood that the hockey club was in the community’s blood and was a point of fierce pride. Fay became the first female owner in the Ontario Hockey League, a first that she had previously accomplished with her Tim Hortons franchise."
The ownership group became known as the "Super Six."
A celebration of life is tentatively scheduled for Sunday, Dec. 15 in the Rutherford Room at the Harry Lumley Bayshore Community Centre from noon to 4 p.m.
