Obituary of Wayne Thompson

October 7, 1941 – Winnipeg, Manitoba

July 11, 2024 – Calgary, Alberta

 

Let me tell you about Wayne, this is going to take a bit, because he had nearly 83 years to generate a lot of stories.

He was born Harold Wayne Thompson, in October 1941, to Bradbury and Helen Thompson in Winnipeg, Manitoba. And so, the tales begin.

At first, it was the usual. Mischief, pranks, and general goofing around, although nothing serious or harmful. But my, oh my, the stories were plentiful and full of laughs. Oh, to be a boy in the 40’s and 50’s.

After some time had passed, he found himself attending school at Churchill High, where at the age of seventeen, his life was about to take a most delightful side street. He met the sweetest brunette, with a dimpled smile, by the name of Roberta Graham, and the die was cast.

Around that same time, Wayne found himself in need of a little support. He was welcomed into the Graham clan with open arms, by Roberta’s parents, Kenneth and Helen.

We are so thankful for their generosity and warmth to him.

Upon his graduation from Churchill High School in 1959, much to Roberta’s dismay, he enlisted in the Canadian Airforce, and departed for training in Saint-Jean, Québec. It was time for a little more mischief, and a whole lot of training. Here, he learned the business of keeping the aircraft in the Canadian Forces flying in top form, and wrote a stream of letters to Roberta the whole time.

He and Roberta managed to keep the flame alit for the duration of his time in the Airforce, and they announced their engagement in October of 1963, which was followed by a winter wedding on December 14th. If you do the math, they were married for over 60 years.

Oh, the mischief was still alive and well when they found themselves moving as a newly married unit, from Winnipeg to Thompson in 1964.

It was while living and working in Thompson that they welcomed the first addition to their party of two, a baby girl they named Tracy Lynn, no E’s please. And two became three.

After a couple of years, it was decided that they would relocate somewhere a whole lot closer to Roberta’s family. Brandon, Manitoba, would be the place to be for the next few years.

While Tracy was all good and such, they welcomed another baby girl, Terri Dawn, in 1970, and project “Thompson Family” was deemed complete.

In 1976, Wayne had the notion of complicating things to the nth degree, by deciding that building a house in the country, west of Brandon, was the thing to do, and so they did.

It was here that he got himself and the rest of us into the business of adventure. There was dog sledding, snowmobiling, sailing, archery, and horseback riding. There were sea cadets and being the range officer, where he taught a generation of kids the art of shooting. There was hiking, dirt biking, and camping galore.

There was never a dull moment, with a few incidents of Wayne arriving at home from a trip to town, only to realize that he’d forgotten the kids. And so, he went back to the car to find them waiting for their preoccupied father. Forgetting to pick Terri up after her music practice was a story remembered over the years, with a shaking of heads, and a few chuckles too.

Few knew of his penchant for the relocation of a particularly large wood pile, performed by his long-suffering children. To this day, I still dislike piling firewood.

In 1986, Wayne was transferred to a new sour gas plant, south of Calgary. He and Family Thompson moved part and parcel from Brandon to Calgary, where they set up for the success to follow. He brought his skills and drive for a job well done with him, and applied it every day.

The love of motorcycle travel also began with a bang at this time, and they rode continuously. With Wayne at the helm, he took them safely all over Canada and the United States, literally from coast-to-coast, and back again.

He chose retirement in 2006, and began his new chapters.

It was in these chapters that you would find things like international travel to places far and wide.

Together, Wayne and Roberta would see Russia, Great Britain, and many European destinations. Tasting, exploring, and appreciating all that was to be found along the way.

Costa Rica was a favourite destination, and Morocco was a true adventure, where he discovered that riding a camel came naturally to him.

It was in retirement that he found his love of woodworking. He built boxes of the loveliest quality, and the most whimsical wind spinners that you ever saw. He never did anything halfway good. It was always, always, all the way good. Qualities that he passed on to his kids and grandkids alike. Do a job well, or not at all.

In 1999, Wayne and Roberta were gifted the first of their two grandsons, Brett, followed by Evan in 2004. Now, these two were truly the apples of their grandpa’s eye. Such pure love, joy, and pride were brought to Wayne and Roberta by these two boys.

He was husband to Roberta, father to Tracy and Terri, grandpa to Brett and Evan, and Tanner to his son-in-law, Neil.

He loved watching the ocean waves and could talk to anyone. Children could bring the biggest of smiles to his face, and he never stopped learning. I will think of him every time I see one of his beloved chickadees.

He was all of this, and so much more.

I am grateful that I got to tell him this.

I could not have asked for a better father.

You made my life an adventure.

You gave me the work ethic that helped me be successful.

You taught me how to have fun, to be brave, and to stand my ground. I would have never wondered what was over that next hill, or around the next bend in the river without you. You truly gave me an appreciation, wonder of the world, and the drive to go out there and see it. You taught me that I am capable, and you supported me in whatever my latest project happened to be. You praised my photography and encouraged me to try new things.

You helped us whenever we needed you, and you were always there. You were so incredibly proud of us all.

I would do it all over again.

We are all so lucky that God put us all together this way and for so long. I wish, upon wish, upon wish, upon wish, upon wish, that it had been longer.

You did such a marvelous job. You were a good man, husband, father, and grandfather. You loved my mother with all your heart and took such good care of her.

You always chose us first, and I am so grateful.

With so, so much love,

Terri

 

If friends so desire, in lieu of flowers, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Alberta Children’s Hospital Foundation, 28 Oki Drive N.W., Calgary, AB T3B 6A8, Telephone: (403) 955-8818. www.childrenshospital.ab.ca

 

Condolences, memories, and photos may be shared and viewed with Wayne’s family here.

 

In living memory of Wayne Thompson, a tree will be planted in the Ann & Sandy Cross Conservation Area by McInnis & Holloway Funeral Homes, Fish Creek, 14441 Bannister Road SE, Calgary, Ab t2x 3j3, Telephone: 403-256-9575.