On February 3, 2021 Thomas (Tom) Lee of Ottawa and Victoria passed away at the age of 79. Tom was the loving husband of Terry Lee, father of Tanya Lee (John Torrey) and Tom Lee (Heidi Barlow-Lee) and grandfather of Madeline, Celia, Ava and Owen.
Tom was born to Tom and Isabella Lee in December of 1941. He spent his childhood with his mother, grandparents and sisters Sharon and Lorna-Mae on a farm near Barrie, Ontario. Tom attended Barrie Central Collegiate Institute where he met his future wife of nearly 60 years, Terry McKnight. He was a proud member of the Barrie Collegiate band, which he credited with keeping him in school and fostering a lifelong love of music.
Tom was a proud Canadian and had a distinguished career in public service. His passion was the Canadian parks system, working in Ontario and British Columbia before becoming the head of Parks Canada in 1993. In 1998 he was appointed as the first Chief Executive Officer of the newly created Parks Canada Agency. The appointment was the highlight of his career and he attributed the success of the Agency to its talented and dedicated staff. In 2019 he was named an Officer of the Order of Canada for his contributions as a public servant and for his conservation of Canada’s natural resources.
Tom often spoke and wrote movingly about the beauty of Canada. He would describe the “white seagulls on brown farm furrows, stone boats and old coats, barn swallows and pond wallows, red pin cherries, and ripe raspberries” of his childhood farm. He believed that you could hear Canada’s “voices in its nature – a thundering waterfall, the cry of the osprey, the trembling of an aspen.”
With his favourite travelling companion Terry, Tom had the good fortune to travel the world, visiting every continent except Antarctica. They had the pins on a map on their wall to prove it. Tom could mend a canoe, lay a stone wall, tend a vegetable patch, build a playhouse or sundial for his grandchildren, take apart and rebuild a ’51 MG and play the flamenco guitar. He could name trees and wildflowers as he walked. He could tell you when an approaching storm was a tornado. He read widely and thought deeply. He often returned to the great authors of Russian literature.
Tom’s love for his wife spanned his ages. He inspired his children by example, mentored them with his words and supported their choices. He delighted in his grandchildren and his pride in each of them knew no bounds. While no funeral will be held for Tom, we ask you to keep him in your memories. The family will gather privately to celebrate Tom’s life later in the year. Donations in his name may be made to Crohn’s and Colitis Canada, the Nature Conservancy of Canada or a charity of your choice.
Condolences may be offered to the family below.
McCall Gardens
38 Responses
Dear Terry and family:
Our hearts go out to all of you. We can only hope that many happy and lasting memories, and totally justifiable pride, will diminish your sorrow as rapidly as possible. We know he will be sorely missed, and by many.
It was my enormous pleasure and great honour to have known and worked with Tom. It was a bit less than 5 years (1978 – 1983), which were the first years of the legendary B.C. Ministry of Lands, Parks & Housing, (and not only because of their memorable Christmas parties), and where Tom was initially the ADM Parks. And what an extraordinary five years it was. John Johnson, DM referred to it in later years as “Camelot”, and Tom was most definitely one of the Knights at that table. And you, Terry, were most definitely his Lady. We still have a photo of you and Elsie in your similar burgundy dresses.
Tom was the epitome of “a scholar and a gentleman”. He was one of the few exceptional and extraordinary people I have encountered in my life. He had a great sense of humour and, as if that weren’t enough, he also had a love for interesting older automobiles. (I just realized that when we were boys, a 70-year-old car such as his 1951 MG, would have been built in 1880. He has now widened my sense of “history”.) I fondly recall his small old Hillman (?) sedan on one late afternoon, following a rather lengthy celebratory lunch, struggling to not only contain John the giant, Andrew, myself and Tom the driver, but to carry us slowly, but successfully, all the way uphill to our house on Lansdowne. As they say, those were the days!
When Tom and I switched positions between Lands and Parks, his willingness to relinquish the one job everyone in government would have loved to have, and to take on a completely new challenge, was truly remarkable. As was his subsequent service to Canada as a whole. The Order of Canada has not had a more deserving recipient.
Cris & Elsie Gray
14 February 2021
A sad farewell salute to a former neighbour, soccer dad, curler, and BC public servant. My heartfelt condolences to Terry and the family.
Bill McReynolds
Tom and I chatted in a grocery store parking lot in Ottawa for an hour one day about our favorite parks and sites. I am 28 year Parks Canada employee and worked for him. I told him my career started in Batoche and Prince Albert National Park, he knew specific details of every park and site I worked in. I was just one of many Parks Canada employees who worked and respected him. He treated me warmly that day as if he remembered me personally and his memory of parks and sites was incredible! RIP, Tom, thanks for all you did for Parks!
As a successor, inheritor and admirer of his great work at Parks Canada, and a former colleague of his son Tom and a witness to the strength of the values that he passed on to the next generation, I offer my deepest sympathy and condolences to his family. Canada owes much to Tom Lee and is far better off than most will ever know for what he contributed to this country.
Again, my deepest sympathy and condolences to the family.
Daniel Quan-Watson (Former CEO, Parks Canada)
Dear Terry and family, Josée and I offer our deepest sympathy as a result of your loss of Tom. Words really cannot express our sadness in losing a friend, mentor and former colleague. I have been very blessed to have the opportunity to learn from and be inspired by a Great Canadian who through his unassuming style inspired all of us to care deeply for our Country, for our National Treasures and for the members of the Parks Canada family. He was a true unsung hero, a giant of Canada’s Parks Program but more importantly such a respectful and inspiring person.
Alan and Josée Latourelle
David and Joy Lee
Our condolences to you, Terry, and your family.
Terry, you and I met while teaching at Hollycrest Middle School in Etobicoke. My husband, David, and I drove your car, with boat on top, from Mississauga to Victoria the summer (was it 1975?) you and the family re-located to Victoria. At that time, our children hadn’t yet been born. It seems that we have some family names in common: among others, David’s mother named Isabell and his cousin Tom.
Tom has evidently led a full, rich life, contributing to and enriching creation and the lives of all around him. You will miss him! His goodness will live on in the lives of those he has inspired.
David and Joy Lee
My sincere condolences to Terry and family with the passing of Tom . Tom was a true beacon of the Canadian conservation movement in Canada.
Tom was Director of Planning when I started my Career in his office with Ontario Parks in 1973 and was one of a few mentors for me at various times in my career in Ontario and Alberta.
I periodically stayed in contact through his career in BC and Parks canada.
Tom’s passion for conservation and contribution in Canada was
recognized by not only by the Order Of Canada but all those that had the opportunity to cross paths.
Cherish the memories of the family joys.
Stephanie and I send our condolences to Terry and family on Tom’s recent death. This marks the passing of one of the great leaders for Canada’s parks and in particular of Parks Canada. A humble man with a big heart, Tom Lee was responsible for creating the Parks Canada Agency, thus saving it from oblivion after the bureaucratic meltdown into the Department of Canadian Heritage. I hope his many other accomplishments will also be recognized. See Christina Cameron’s tribute: http://parkscanadahistory.com/centennial/leaders-full.htmI
I remember Tom’s famous speech in his early days at Parks Canada when he started by saying “I want to paint you a picture of Canada…” and proceeded to cross the country with stories of art, music, books, places, history and people. He left his audience in tears. Tom was crying too. It was an honour to work with Tom Lee and to call him a friend. He will be remembered. Love to you Terry.
Terry, our thoughts are with you and your family. Tom was truly an inspiration to his colleagues in both the provincial and national parks systems. It was so satisfying to learn about Tom receiving the Officer of the Order of Canada award. Tom’s most valuable contribution to protect and manage significant natural resources through his dedicated and leading edge work in Ontario, British Columbia and Parks Canada has been exceptional. Many people are still amazed with the legislation that Tom and his team prepared for the new Parks Canada Agency which will ensure the protection of this institution. Tom really does represent the best traditions of parks experts in the public service. Above his career, Tom always spoke so proudly about his family and his rural upbringing in the Barrie area.
Tom was a great guy and a good leader, well respected by all his fellow workers in Lands, Parks and Housing. I remember on one occasion when I was having a bad time. Tom stuck up for me. Also, after I retired from Lands and Tom was with Parks Canada he secured me a couple large contracts. On one I worked out of Calgary helping to set up a new land rental system for Jasper and other towns where Parks owned the land. He made work a pleasure.