Obituary: Oliver Haskard

Oliver Haskard, 95, of Longboat Key, died Oct. 10.

Born May 24, 1919, in Lancastershire, England, Mr. Haskard attended Eton College, followed by Cambridge University. He trained with the Royal Horse Guard and went into World War II as a captain in British intelligence.

After the war, Mr. Haskard worked the land as a farmer and developed a love of nature through the animals he cared for and the beauty of the land that he worked. He opened a garden center not far from the farm offering a vast assortment of plants including grafts and hybrids of his own liking.

He had two children, Victoria and Doria, during his first marriage.

After his first marriage ended, Mr. Haskard took passage on a small Greek ship bound for the island of Patmos. On the deck of the ship, Mr. Haskard met his soulmate, Grace Haskard.

After moving to the United States, their love of books led them to become owners of the Tempest Book Shop in Waitsfield, Vt., where they worked side by side every day for many years. Their love for Tempest stayed in the family when their son, Rick Rayfield, took over the store, which he runs to this day.

Mr. Haskard had a great interest in the arts and literature and could carry a conversation on practically any subject. He is remembered as the type of person more interested in having a discourse rather than winning it and as a person of the greatest character, who, with all his knowledge, remained humble and always looking out for humanity.