Prayers and sympathy to the entire Hartsgrove family as well as to the borough of Highlands on the passing of Florence Hartsgrove Gauthier, the oldest native of Highlands and the matriarch of one of the many families who made this town the wonderful place it is.
The Hartsgrove family has suffered many health issues and family deaths in the past year, and yet continue to all be an example of endurance, perseverance and strength.
When I published The ABCs of Highlands, a book about some of the many people who he made a difference in this community, I asked Mrs. Gauthier if she would write a forward for it. She did, pointing that that while “Muriel Smith though not a native, has a love and appreciation for our hometown…” a phrase that showed the pride in growing up here. She recalled that her stories “bring happy memories of what life in Highlands was truly like. Highlands has changed with the times, but it will always provide happy memories for those lucky enough to grow up here.”
Personal thanks to Florence Hartsgrove Gauthier for being one of those natives who made bringing up a family here a place of happy memories.
