The owner and manager of Glovertown Shipyards in Newfoundland died tragically after falling from a vessel docked at the wharf adjacent to the yard. The 55-year old boat builder was working alone at the time but it is believed he was stepping from one vessel to the deck of another when he slipped and fell overboard.
Ford was born and raised in Glovertown and started working at the shipyard in 1974 when he was just 19. Harvey Humby remembers the young Ford as an excellent worker who always wanted the job done well. Ford worked his way through the ranks of the company and in the early 1980s, when, then owner, Austin Burry, started building steel vessels, Ford upgraded his qualifications to take on that challenge.
Harvey Humby worked with Ford for nearly 35 years, first as colleagues then later as business partners when they purchased the company in 2003. Harvey retired in 2010 and Ford purchased Harvey’s shares to become sole owner of the company.
“You couldn’t get a better person than Ford — we never had a single argument,” Harvey says of his former colleague. “There is no way to replace him,” he adds, thoughtfully. Everyone who knew Ford Dowden echoes Harvey’s sentiment.
The Glovertown Shipyard employs between 20 and 40 people — depending on workloads. Harvey is retired but keeps and eye on things at the yard. He said there was a flurry of activity at the yard this past fall as fishermen were bringing their boats in for maintenance work.