THOMAS CLAUDE MEADOWS, B.

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THOMAS CLAUDE MEADOWS, B. Sc., B. Ed., M. Ed., PhD Surrounded by family on Wednesday, April 11, 2007 at St. Boniface General Hospital, Tom Meadows passed away at the age of 81 years. Tom will be greatly missed by his children, Ruth (Doug) Schappert, Raphael (Linda) Meadows and Bruce (Shelley) Bertrand-Meadows; grandchildren Anna, Lisa, Amy and Kayla, Isaiah and Talia, Tejas; brothers Donald (Leslie) Meadows, Edward Meadows and sister-in-law Tess Meadows. He was predeceased by his wife Gloria Meadows, sister Dorothy Smith, brother Robert Meadows, and sister-in-law Muriel Meadows. In addition to many other extended family members and friends, Tom will be particularly missed by his dog, Bucky who was his constant companion in later years and a source of comfort following the death of his wife Gloria in 2005. Tom was born in Minnedosa, Manitoba in 1925 and raised on the family farm just south of town. He received his early education at Roseneath School and his grade 12 at Minnedosa Collegiate Institute. After a brief time as a navigator in the Royal Canadian Air Force at the close of the Second World War, Tom returned to Canada in order to further his education and obtained his Bachelor of Science, Principal's Certificate and Bachelor of Education from the University of Manitoba in 1950, 1957 and 1958 respectively. Tom instructed in the public school system in both rural Manitoba (Carmen Collegiate, Flin Flon Collegiate and Roblin (Goose Lake Collegiate etc.) and within the City of Winnipeg (Miles Macdonell Collegiate) as both teacher and principal for more than 17 years. In 1962, Tom met and married Gloria and together they eventually had three children, Ruth, Raphael and Bruce. Tom and Gloria were very proud parents and supportive of the many activities in which their children became involved, be it music (jazz or classical), sports (swimming, baseball, soccer, volleyball, basketball) or other interests. Tom's love of canoeing and the wilderness was shared by all of his family. Over the years, the family spent countless days at the cottage on Big Whiteshell and enjoyed many canoe trips together. In 1967 Tom became a professor at the University of Manitoba's Faculty of Education. While focusing his teaching on Science Education and Outdoor Education, Tom also continued to further his own education and achieved a Masters of Education from the University of Manitoba in 1971. A few years later, Tom obtained his PhD at the University of Texas at Austin, where the family lived for 15 months from May 1973 to August 1974. In addition to his many hours of studying and writing, Tom made sure to travel and explore the State of Texas with his family making many new friends and creating a variety of fond memories along the way. Upon his return to Manitoba, Dr. Tom' continued to teach at the University of Manitoba until his retirement in 1990. Tom was also a very talented jazz piano and double bass musician and through the years the family jazz combo played countless gigs' together. Tom continued to delight people with his musical abilities and played with several orchestras (Winnipeg Pops Orchestra, Southglen Orchestra, Gig 1) throughout his retirement. Tom and Gloria were married for 43 years before her passing in November 2005. In addition to raising a family together, they shared a passion for music, nature and playing both bridge and cribbage together. They loved and respected each other deeply and shared a wonderful life together. Tom had a special affection for the dogs in his life and displayed a particular talent for training them even as a boy. Tom continued to walk his dog Bucky on a daily basis until the day before he was admitted to hospital and during the winter they were often found skijoring in the park together. Whether it was as a young man, with his family or on his own in later year, Tom was happiest out on the lake in his canoe with a paddle in his hand. We miss you Dad. May you be blessed with sunny skies and calm waters on your journey. Memorial Service to be held at 1:00 p.m. Thursday, April 19 at St. George's (Crescentwood) Anglican Church, 168 Wilton St. at Grosvenor. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Manitoba, 200-6 Donald St, Winnipeg, MB, R3L 0K6 or the Winnipeg Humane Society, 5 Kent St., Winnipeg, MB, R2L 1X3 BARDAL FUNERAL HOME CREMATORIUM 843 Sherbrook Street, 774-7474 Condolences: www.bardal.ca

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Apr 14, 2007