Thomas William Mathews 1951-2019
Our dear Tom has passed away on December 21 as a result of pancreatic cancer. Tom is survived by his beloved wife Lorna, his step children Anthea Dacruz-Smith and Ian Smith, daughters-in-law Maria and Jacqueline, his grandchildren Jacob, Rio, Evie and Egan, his sister and brother-in-law Margaret and Bryan Parlor in Ottawa along with their children William, Laura and David, and his sister Janet in Vancouver.
Tom was born in Oakland, California. His parents William H. Mathews and Laura Lu Tolsted met in Berkeley when they were both pursuing graduate studies in geology. Tom moved to his father’s hometown of Vancouver when he was several months old. He graduated from UBC, then moved to Toronto to work, then moved to Edmonton when he married Lorna in 2006.
Tom was a unique and wonderful man. A prodigy in mathematics and science, Tom enjoyed his career as a computer programmer and was involved with climate research and stratospheric ozone research. Tom amazed us with his knowledge of history, geography, and current events. He remembered his life in detail and loved to tell stories. For 26 years Tom ran marathons with a personal best of 2:37:25. He participated in the cross-Okanagan Lake swim as recently as this summer. As a family man in his later years, Tom was loving, loyal and conscientious. He was the patriarch.
Tom received excellent and compassionate care at home from the palliative care team and the family is so grateful.
A more detailed summary of Tom’s life will be posted on the website for the Trinity Funeral Home. The celebration of Tom’s life will be announced on that website at a later date. To honor Tom, you are invited to make a donation to the charity of your choice.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Thomas William Mathews 2019..
Death notice for the town of: Edmonton, Province: Alberta
I would like to pass my deepest condolences to Tom’s wife and the whole family.
I remember Tom from his research work and seminars and his dedication and love for whatever he was working on. I also remember time of him moving to Edmonton. He was very happy to start a new life.