It is with great sadness I announce the death of my dear husband of 42 years Tom Donnelly. Tom died Sunday morning March 29th, 2020 from heart failure in Victoria General Hospital where he was being treated for a separate condition. The last two years have been difficult for Tom enduring many health problems including dementia and two strokes in the past 6 months. He was a very strong man and took it all in stride and without complaint.
Tom is predeceased by his mom and dad Joyce and Leao Donnelly as well as his older sister Joan and younger brothers Ray and Stan. He is survived by his younger sister Kitty Anne (Tony) and six wonderful children Joyce (Jim) Art, Angela, Cary (Marguerite), Brenda (Paul) and Daniel. 9 grandchildren and 7 great-grandchildren and 12 nieces and nephews.
Tom was born May 1st,1940 on the family farm in Barrhead, Alberta where he spent his younger years tending the pigs, chickens and horses with his siblings. The family moved to Clearwater BC in January 1948. Tom struck out on his own in his mid-teens and headed to Edmonton where he was introduced to welding by his uncle. Upon completion of his apprenticeship Tom wanted to see the world and became a pipeline welder working on oil rigs in many different countries including Iran, Kuwait and Algeria. He sailed through the Northwest Passage on a drill ship and worked in the Beaufort Sea as well as all over Canada.
We met in Majorca, Spain in 1977 when Tom arrived via Texas to start an oil contract in Algeria, it was love at first sight and we married two months later. A serious accident on the rig cut his oil days short and we settled back in his adopted hometown of beautiful Victoria in May 1978 “the only place in the world to live” he told me at our first meeting. Tom, within the confines of his body brace, put his welding skills to work building, repairing and custom fabricating parts for Victoria’s then vibrant commercial fishing fleet and for the next ten years.
In 1987 Tom was introduced to Rotary and invited to join The Harbourside Rotary Club of Victoria where he made many good friends, this was a true honour and not only gave him a passionate interest that he could take in his community and give back by fundraising for the many excellent causes the club supported, none the least of which was Project literacy Victoria which as a crippling dyslexic sufferer all of his life, Tom put full effort in helping the organization with its many fundraising efforts including golf tournaments which gave him so much pleasure. In 1992 he received the George Knudson Award from Peter Gzowski in this endeavour, a very proud moment. Tom remained a rotary member until 2000 and lived his life by its creed: The Four-Way Test.
Prior to his second career in art and framing, Tom had an ornamental iron business where he handcrafted wrought-iron structures which are dotted around the city including four rose trellises on the lawns of The Legislature and an ornamental gateway to the Rotary Garden at Government House.
In 1996 Tom was nominated for and received the “Citizen of The Year” Runner-up Award presented by C-FAX 1070 and Thrifty Foods for his many voluntary contributions to Greater Victoria. A very proud day.
Driving the open road and golf were his passions and he loved the fellowship that came with the latter. He was a very patriotic Canadian very proud of his Irish roots and very proud of his loving family. Tom was a wonderful, kind and generous man who is sorely missed but suffering no more.
Grateful thanks to the Doctors and wonderful Nursing staff at Victoria General Hospital 7B South. Celebration of Tom’s life will be held in Clearwater in safer times.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
www.mccallgardens.com
19 Responses
Dear Kathy, Rudy and I were so sorry to hear of Tom’s passing. What a great guy he was…always a smile and a laugh to share! It was such a pleasure to meet you both back in the 80’s….we have many fond memories of that time with the Context courses.
We are thinking of you now and sending love and big hugs!
Rudy & Mary Anne Marchildon x
Tom Donnelly was a gem of a man. We met him due to our involvement with Project Literacy Victoria. Were involved with the annual Peter Gzowski golf tournaments to support adult literacy. Tom’s sense of humour was terrific. His dedication to whatever he was doing, exemplary.
He was truly one of the good ones that we have met along the way. Sincere condolences to his family. RIP Tom. You lived your life like a real trooper. Definitely will be missed.
Tom was a special man, many of his challenges and achievements he kept quietly. Our hearts and thoughts go our to Kathy, a tireless caregiver and stalwart support for the past several years. How she managed to run from work to fix lunch then back to the studio. Her smile brightened up Tom’s as well as our lives.
He shall miss his wit and wisdom and look forward to sharing more time and stories with Kathy.
With love, Herb and Judy
Rest In Peace my dear Brother Tom. I will miss you till we meet again. You were a great brother and a amazing person. Love always Kitty Anne
Tom was my Dad. We will miss him dearly. I want to thank you all for your kind words. He was a very special individual.
Art
Tom was an incredible spirit, and someone I took pride in calling my father. He was blessed with many friends, an incredible wife, and a loving family. He will be in our hearts forever.
Bill McCreadie
We will all miss Tom. His friends in Morioka, Japan have sent me emails saying he will be missed. Tom’s passing leaves us all a little poorer in spirit. Our best wishes and condolences to Kathy
Cathy
We were saddened to receive the news that Tom had passed away and can’t begin to image how hard it must have been for you to have dealt with his passing along with the added stress of coping with this pandemic. You wrote a beautiful tribute to Tom and his life certainly made for interesting reading. We remember meeting up with Tom most days on the Songhees Walkway and although he was usually struggling to walk we always admired his perseverance. We hope when your family and friends are finally able to celebration Tom’s life in Clearwater it will be as colourful a celebration as his life was. May his spirit rest in peace.
Tom did some framing of a couple of “Ted Harrison’s prints for myself and my friend Catherine. He would have us pick the colours and how we wanted the mat laid out. He was open and honest about his dyslexia, may he rest in peace.