Gary Thomson
Garth (Gary) Thomson, 86, passed away Monday, February 19, at the Atikokan General Hospital’s extended care wing, his home for the past seven months or so.
Gary was born in Deslisle, Saskatchewan, September 3, 1931, and moved with his family to Fort Frances as a young child a few years later. He married Marg O’Donnell in Fort Frances in 1955, and they went on to raise two children (Carol and Jim) and enjoyed over fifty-seven years together.
The family came to Atikokan in 1967, when Gary partnered with George Nault and Rusty Myers to open Myers Lumber on Mackenzie Avenue. He operated that shop for just over twenty years, then in 1987 came to Main St. where he opened the Nor-West Building Centre (later the Northwest Do-it Centre), which he operated until he retired eleven years later.
Gary and his family were active in the Church of the Good Shepherd, the Anglican Church of Canada in Atikokan, and he was to become its chief exterior maintenance person, taking care of everything from lawn mowing to the upkeep of the church façade. In fact, he was well-known for that kind of helpfulness throughout town; he particularly enjoyed any kind of project outdoors.
That love for the outdoors was also obvious in his free time activities. He lived for fishing, winter and summer, and was also an avid hunter.
Gary is survived by his children, Carol and Jim (Donna); grandchildren Paul (Jen), Adam (Laura), Fawn (Michael), Rikki, and Tara; great-grandchildren Benjamin, Cole, Liam, Delaney, Sadie, and Jack; sister-in-law Sheila McKelvie; lifelong friend Myrtle Parkinson; and extended family.
He was pre-deceased by his wife Marg (2012), brother Elgin, nephews Bob and Jack Thomson, and sister-in-law Audrey.
A funeral service was held February 24 at the Church of the Good Shepherd in Atikokan.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate memorial donations directed to the extended care wing, through the Atikokan General Hospital Foundation (Box 2490, Atikokan, ON P0T 1C0; www.AGHospitalFoundation.org).
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