“Well, Grace…”

If something was broken, Hollis White would fix it.

If something could be built, he would find a way.

And if there were pie and tea waiting at home with Grace, he was probably already on his way there.

Hollis Edward White of Kennetcook, Nova Scotia, passed away peacefully on May 12, 2026, at the age of 93, with Grace, his wife of 73 years, beside him, just as she had been through nearly every chapter of his remarkable life.

Born in White Settlement on May 19, 1933, to the late Milton Addison and Lina Belle (Miller) White, Hollis grew up with hardworking hands, practical instincts, and a quiet determination that stayed with him his entire life.

Hollis had a gift for seeing possibility where others saw scrap. One of his earliest claims to fame came when he took two old cars and managed to build one running vehicle from them. That bit of ingenuity impressed the owner of Currie’s Garage enough to earn him a job as a mechanic, eventually leading to a long career as an automatic transmission specialist with Harbour Motors and Fairly & Stevens.

But for many people, Hollis was best known at the racetrack.

Harness racing became part of his life in the early 1960s after his brother talked him into horse ownership. Before long, Hollis was training and driving horses himself, building a respected career marked by more than 332 driving victories and 70 winning horses from his own stable. One story he particularly enjoyed was unofficially breaking the world record during an ice race on Lake Banook in the mid-1980s. In 2014, Truro Raceway recognized him as the oldest active driver in Canada on his 81st birthday, a distinction he carried with quiet pride.

Throughout his life, Hollis preferred working to sitting still. He spent time cutting logs in the woods and even built his own barn from lumber he personally felled and milled himself. That was Hollis in every sense, resourceful, capable, and happiest when creating something useful with his own hands.

For all his accomplishments, though, the heart of Hollis’s life was always his family and especially Grace. There was little he enjoyed more than a hot cup of tea, a good piece of pie, and holding hands with her.

He was a man of few words and never really said “goodbye.” Instead, whenever he was ready to leave, he would simply say, “Well Grace,” and off he would go.

Hollis leaves behind Grace; his daughter Brenda Hutton; sons Edward White (Louise), Allen White (Cindy), and Sherman White (Kathy); grandchildren Melissa Armstrong, Jacqueline Hutton, Justin White, Caitlin White, Addison White, Kelly Paddock, and George Paddock; several great-grandchildren; and brothers Orlee White and Donald White.

Besides his parents , he was predeceased by his; brothers Gerald Miller, Malcolm White, Robert White, Wallace White, Milton White, and Grant White; sister Christina Parker.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to White Hall, Noel Road, or Saint James Presbyterian Church in White Settlement.

A graveside service will be held at the ST James Presbyterian Cemetery, White Settlement Rd. on Thursday, May 21, at 2pm followed by a celebration of life at White Hall, where stories, memories, and probably a few good laughs will no doubt be shared, just the way Hollis would have liked it.

Arrangements have been entrusted to the compassionate care of the J. Wilson Allen Funeral Home, Hwy 354 Kennetcook. Phone 902-362-2440 or please visit our website at WWW.allenfh.ca to sign the guest book or leave a private condolence.