February 11, 2019 — A procession of visitors entered a hospital room at St. Anne’s in Fall River last weekend to bid farewell to Harriet Didriksen.
Her son, Dana, saw his mother. With each new person who entered the room, he began to see, in many ways, the matriarch of the waterfront.
“She’s intrinsically dedicated to this lifestyle for the good of herself and other people,” Dana said. “For me it’s been quite eye opening and it’s been very soothing, very nice.”
Didriksen died Sunday at age 76. Dana returned to his home in Manhattan on Thursday morning. With each day he spent in the SouthCoast, though, the bond between his mother and the fishing industry grew more and more visible.
By the docks in Fairhaven, an electrician Dana didn’t remember approached him to share stories about Didriksen.
“Your mother did a lot of things for the fishing industry that weren’t to her benefit as an owner,” Dana recalled him saying. “Your mother sacrificed stuff to the detriment of her business.”
Didriksen inherited New Bedford Ship Supply from her aunt and uncle in 2000, but worked there her entire life. The business will continue under Dana.
“There were plenty of guys that are just starting out, they didn’t have credit. They would come to us and ask for a favor. ‘Would you guys give me a hand in getting me started in getting some gear.’ We did that for quite a few customers,” said Joe Couto, who had worked with Didriksen at Ship Supply since 1977.