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RICHARD K. WILSON
Born: Aug 28, 1931
Date of Passing: Apr 25, 2017
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RICHARD K. (TUG) WILSON August 28, 1931 - April 25, 2017 On April 25, 2017 surrounded by love and in the arms of his family, Tug Wilson passed away peacefully in his 86th year after a long and very courageous battle with multiple health issues. He leaves to grieve his death, but to rejoice in his life, his wife of 25 years Linda Wilcox; sons, Jeffrey (Mandy), Ryan (Adrianna); step-son Paul Balchen (Maureen); their mother Sharon Wilson; his sister Anne in Marlborough, England; and brother-in-law Ron Wilcox. Tug's grandchildren, Nicole Welsh (Johanna), Shawn Martin, Lucas, Tad and Matthew Wilson; and great-grandchildren, Mersedez, Jeffrey, Andreas and Azarius will miss Poppa Tug. Of special note is Tug's beloved Special Skills dog Royal, who comforted Tug and family in those last hours. Tug, Mr. Wilson, Wilson Sensei, Dick was a person who moved with ease in many circles and made lasting friendships wherever he went. Born in Glasgow, Scotland Tug was raised in England and witnessed the Second World War. He always loved jazz and was a professional musician before he sold his clarinet and saxophone to move to Canada in his early 20s. Tug's careers included London Bobby, military police, "bouncer", digging tunnels by hand for the City of Winnipeg, social worker and Sensei in his dojo. He retired after years supervising sheriff officers at the Winnipeg Law Courts. As a devoted family man, Tug delighted in family gatherings and often expressed his pride of his sons, step-son and their families. Tug's loves included horses and "riding to hounds", raising German Shepherds, and his many pet companions throughout the years. Tug studied Judo with world renowned Master Sensei Kimura in England. Tug opened the Winnipeg Judo Club in 1961, then the Winnipeg School of Judo and Karate in 1963; the first school to teach the art of karate-do in Manitoba. Tug formed the Manitoba Karate Association (MKA) in 1968 which became Canada's 1st Provincially Incorporated Karate Body. Today, the MKA, now Karate Manitoba, is recognized by the Manitoba Sports Federation as the official sport governing body. Tug also worked closely with master instructor Masami Tsuruoka, 10th Dan, and after became a signatory of the Corporation Documents of Karate Canada. Sensei Wilson retired from martial arts in February, 1978 with the rank of 4th Dan in Kodokan Judo and 4th Dan in Chito-Ryu Karate-do. That year the Manitoba Provincial Team, consisting of mainly Wilson trained karate-ka, was ranked number one in Canada. For those who wish, in lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Lions Foundation of Canada Dog Guides, the Winnipeg Humane Society, or Spiritual Care, the Saul and Claribel Simkin Centre, Tug's home for the past 4.5 years.
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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on May 08, 2017
Condolences & Memories (7 entries)
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I met Tug when I was about 14, just a boy. His school at the time was called Winnipeg School of Judo. I worked under his guidance for a few years until one day while walking up to the 3rd floor I saw that he had Karate classes going on. I was entranced and shortly after switched from Judo to karate, the striking art. Tug and I reconnected shortly before his death and I am sorry to say that I did not follow up. He was a good man, a gentle soul, and a good teacher. The world has lost a good one. - Posted by: Gordon Muir (Student) on: Dec 13, 2023
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It's odd how memories come back, but this evening I thought about Tug Wilson and my brief time learning Karate at his superb school, so I did a web search to sadly find out that he had passed away. I recall him walking around the dojo with a very long slatted stick and he'd give us a whack to test whether whether our muscles were properly tensed in a posture. No wonder I only achieved yellow belt!! I always felt a great fondness and respect for him. I see that there haven't been many comments made here, but I have absolutely no doubt that anyone who spent any time in his dojo would have never forgotten how special Tug Wilson was. - Posted by: Gerald Vincent (Studen) on: Feb 25, 2021
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My father, myself and my best friend used to come in every weekend from Swan River, Manitoba (6 hours away) in the mid 70's to take lessons from Sensei Wilson. My father even set up a branch "Tug" dojo in our home town under Tug's guidance. We all had the greatest respect and admiration for Tug, especially my father who has also passed. Tug was a tough taskmaster but always did it with kindness and compassion. He taught me so much in my youth as did his awesome black belts. He produced the toughest and most skilled black belts of the time (if not all time). RIP sir and thank you Ron Kaiser - Posted by: Ron Kaiser (student) on: Aug 10, 2020
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Studied Judo under 'Tug' Wilson in the late '60's -early 70's. Very much enjoyed my time at Wpg. School of Judo and Karate. Tug was a great teacher and very knowlegable in both Judo and Karate. He had spent 3 years in Japan learning the finer points of Judo. I believe he placed 2nd in the Commonwealth Games early in the '60's. I am disappointed so few people have contributed to this post of remembrance, as he certainly touched many lives. RIP 'Tug', you will certainly not be forgotten...... - Posted by: Keith Irvine (Student of Judo) on: Apr 30, 2020
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I recall enjoying Judo classes as a very young person in the late 60s. I also recall Sensei Wilson would inspect finger nails at the beginning of class and whack those hands whose finger nails were not clean and trimmed! Very fond memories. - Posted by: Alan Marshall (former student) on: May 09, 2017
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My friend and I took karate with Tug Wilson some 50 years ago while we attended university. We thought we were pretty tough at the time but Tug soon disillusioned us by scaring the crap out of us! We only knew him for a short time (and not personally) but Sensei Wilson left me a respect for others and a life long sense of humility. Harry Wright - Posted by: Harry Wright (student) on: May 08, 2017
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I was a student of Tugs in the late 60's and 70's. one of the best instructor coaches I ever had in all my years of sport. Worked us as hard as he could and made each of us better people for it. Thank You RIP Tug - Posted by: Paul Milton (Judo student) on: May 08, 2017