Harold C. Addison

After eighty-nine years of a wonderful life, Harold C. Addison joined his wife Phyllis in heaven on December 17, 2018.

He was the son of the late Frank and Rita Addison.  Born in Salem, he graduated from Salem High School. He served in the US Army during the Korea Conflict as a paratrooper stationed in Alaska.  He would joke “and not a single Russian got by us.” Upon his return he married the love of his life, Phyllis Gozik.  The couple moved to Essex, and a year later bought their home on Grove St.  Together they renovated the 250-year-old house and built Harold C. Addison Photography.  Harold took pictures of children and families for almost fifty years, from Cape Ann to Newburyport to Danvers and Peabody.  He loved taking pictures of children. 

Harold loved Essex.  He was a family man who lovingly, with his wife, instilled a sense of duty to help others and a strong work ethic in their three children.  They did this by example, serving others in many capacities.   Harold was active in the Essex Methodist Church for many years.  He served as the Scout Master for Boy Scouts for twenty-five years.  Harold was the first male President of the Essex PTA.  For over forty-five years he was an active member of the Essex Lions Club. He served the Town on the personnel board, as three term Selectman, Board of Health, Conomo Point Commissioner, and Council on Aging.  At the age of eighty-five he was elected to the Housing Authority, the oldest elected official in the town’s history.  He was honored as the Cape Ann Chamber’s Business Man of the Year, and Essex’s Volunteer of the year.

Harold enjoyed being outdoors, especially climbing Mt Washington in the winter, many times in snow storms.  For many years Harold and Phyllis spent the month of February in Barbados with friends from Essex and all over the world.  He enjoyed his summer sailing trips with Bob Lang.  The yard on Grove Street always looked like it should be in Better Homes and Gardens.

Harold loved to work with his hands.  He built cabinets, tables, desks and clocks.  He dismantled a two-story barn in the back yard to build a summer room onto the house.  He, along with several of the neighborhood men and friends, hand dug the 20 ft by 40 ft pool in his back yard.  Phyllis and Harold loved to entertain their friends.  They hosted many dinner parties and pool parties.

He will dearly be missed by his daughter Dawn Burnham and her husband Westley, daughter Jan, and son Bruce and his partner Sally Elshout, his seven grandchildren, Kelly Burns and her husband Michael, Erin Ricker and her husband Daniel, Kendall, Cole and Tucker Addison, Addison and Jenna Nichols, his four great-grandchildren Emily and Joshua Ricker and William and Brendhan Burns, and his sister-in-law Marylan Bokain and her husband Benji. In addition to his parents, and wife Phyllis, he was predeceased by his brother Robert and sister-in-law Marilyn.

A Mass celebrating Harold’s life will be held at St. John the Baptist, 52 Main Street, Essex at 4pm, Wednesday, January 2. Burial will be private.  Arrangements by the Whittier-Porter Funeral Home of Ipswich. In keeping with Harold's love of Essex, and the people in Town, please make memorial donations in his name to the local committee or organization of your choice.

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