Thomas Charles Wright

Tom entered the world early, which would surprise no one who knew him later in life. He defied the doctors' predictions of imminent death - thumbed his nose even - living a good life till he was 93. Also, surprising no one.

Tom spent formative years in Williamsport, Pennsylvania - where he lived with his grandparents for a time after his mother died - and then behind barbed wire in the "secret city", Oakridge, Tennessee. Tom's father was a civilian engineer in charge of hiring the engineers to work on the Manhattan Project.

Tom completed two years at U Tennessee, Knoxville, with a stint shoreside in the U.S. Marines followed 3 years later by 2 % years in the U.S. Navy. That may have been the inspiration for finishing his B.A. then his M.A. in Leisure Studies and Recreation. Regardless, there may be no one better suited to a career in leisure and recreation than Tom. He had, after all, earned the nickname Tom's Tavern for his parent's house while in high school. And he enjoyed nothing better than planning recreational activities, whether they were intramural sports programs at Washington State University, recreational activities for U.S. forces stationed at the air base in Izmir, Turkey, or long trips abroad — trips that someone might or might not take. His passion for recreation even got WSU to buy and refurbish a ski hill.

He loved to travel and travelled widely after he retired including a cross country solo walk in England and 13 cruises and trips all over the world with Pat. There were trips to China, numerous trips to Alabama, Chareston, Savannah, Nashville and Australia. Tom and Pat enjoyed cruises through the Panama Canal, Alaska, Athens to Istanbul to Barcelona and beyond!

Tom made friends wherever he went and had good friends, adult lifelong friends, from the mountains of Idaho, through Alberta and Washington to the and New South Wales in Australia.

Tom was a loving husband. And he was an exceedingly proud father and grandfather. He always demanded every single detail about the most recent deal made, VIP ski tour, movie script started, marathon run, album made, extreme biking, trip abroad, debate tournament, swim meet, ski race, horse show, piano performance, science experiment or skill learned so he could share his pride with friends and pretty much anyone who would listen. He asked pointed questions!

Tom lived for stories. He collected them and shared them generously. He had a lot of stories of his own as Dr. Christian Wiens learned when he innocently asked Tom to share a bit about himself when they first met in the palliative care unit at the Royal Jubilee Hospital in Victoria.

Tom acquired a deep knowledge of the U.S. Civil War over his life. He could tell you the name of every general and other officers of major or minor consequence in every battle from the first shot fired at Ft. Sumpter to Lee's surrender and beyond. Tom's Millenium project in 2000 was an 80 day driving trip to almost all the battle sites, complete with slides and copious notes, planned and executed with great enthusiasm. Nearly wrote a book, not his thing!! He was a true historian.

Tom introduced countless people to the pleasant ritual of the hours-long fondue dinner (always accompanied by the same four home made sauces and Luciano Tajoli's Come Prima). A turkey dinner, regardless of the occasion, was not complete without Tom's specially shaped cranberry jelly.

Tom loved music. Especially jazz. And he was a sports fanatic! A talented ball player, a right hander who batted left, he was also a very assertive armchair, well he was usually standing near the end, coach/GM as his colleagues and students at Mount Royal College will attest. He was with his team win or tie, vocally frustrated when the officials missed calling penalties which he quickly saw during every game he watched on TV!

Tom said himself he had lived a good life and he did, finding pleasure in everyday things till the end. Tom was living with prostate cancer when he was diagnosed with an aggressive form of melanoma that had spread widely. True to form Tom chose to move on in his own time and on his own terms. He was surrounded by family and friends on a glorious afternoon in the rooftop garden of the Victoria Hospice. It was a good death. We are most grateful for the compassion and care shown to Tom and all of us by the Hospice team.