The Drummer staff was saddened to learn of Bill Hart’s death on Feb. 2. Bill was a long-time contributor to The Granby Drummer, served as Director of the Salmon Brook Historical Society and supported many other Granby organizations. His love of Granby and its history came from family roots in Simsbury and Granby that dated to the 1600s.
His childhood memories of summers on his maternal grandparent’s farm at the end of Godard Rd., became a popular column in the Drummer. For a decade, Memory Lane recounted day-by-day farm life in the 1920s and 30s, his school years and WWII military service. Ultimately, the articles were compiled into a book published by Citizens for a Better Granby to celebrate Granby’s 225th Anniversary. It is still in print.
His 101 years spanned much of the 20th Century, and nearly a quarter century of the 21st; he lived them well. Details from his obituary in the Hartford Courant tell his story best:
William S. Hart, 101, was born on Nov. 4, 1922, and passed away on Feb. 2, 2024. He was predeceased by his wife of 53 years, Sally (Balch) Hart.
Hart was a 1941 graduate of William H. Hall High School in West Hartford and was attending Trinity College when Pearl Harbor was attacked. He enlisted in the U.S. Army Air Corps and became a First Lieutenant Navigator on B-17 Flying Fortress bombers. His working years were in the insurance industry and in semi-retirement he was employed by the Farmington Health Department.
Hart was a freelance writer for The Granby Drummer, Southwoods Magazine (Southwick, Mass.) and on the editorial staff of Stonewalls Magazine (Huntington, Mass.) In 1999, Hart copyrighted his book of poetry called Walk a Ways in My Shoes.
In midlife he became interested in motorcycles and rode until the age of 88. For many years he was a member of the Salmon Brook Historical Society where he served for a time as director.
Bill Hart will be buried in the Oren Godard family plot in Granby Cemetery. His marker is engraved with the words “I Lived”.
Thank you, Bill, for your many contributions to Granby and your country.