Obituary
Meldrum, Tom
September 18, 1935 – September 17, 2021
It is with great sadness that the family of Tom Meldrum announces his peaceful passing on September 17, 2021, with his daughter Carla and son Greg by his side. Tom was predeceased by his wife Joan, son Pat, parents Tom and Florence, and son-in-law Phil. He is survived by his children Mike (Karen), Cathy, Greg (Vivian), Carla (Darryl), daughter-in -law Sandi, 11 grandchildren, 9 great-grandchildren, brother Lorne (Jan) and twin sisters Margaret and Marlene, sister-in-law Noreen, numerous nephews and nieces, and his special friend Marlene Whyte.
Tom was born on September 18, 1935. He was the eldest child in his family and spent his entire life in Saskatoon, except for the periods of time when he was away playing hockey. Tom played most sports, but it was soon apparent that it was hockey that he excelled at. As a teenager, he caught the eye of the Toronto Maple Leafs who put him on their protected list. There was no NHL draft in the 50’s. Tom was asked to go play at St. Michael’s College in Toronto. It was during his playing time at St. Michael’s that he was teammates with several future NHL’ers, many of whom he stayed connected with over the years. As a young man, Tom attended the training camps of both the Toronto Maples Leafs and the Montreal Canadiens, but in the era of the six team NHL, he was not quite able to crack their line ups. Upon returning home from the east, Tom would spend time playing in the Western Hockey League. He retired from competitive hockey as a player with the Saskatoon Quakers. After retiring from hockey, and with a growing family, Tom began working with the Saskatoon Public School Board. He would retire from the school division as a highly respected manager of caretaking services after 37 years with them. Tom was known as a fair, caring, trustworthy and compassionate manager during his working days. He remained active in hockey for several years as a coach at both the minor and Junior A level. He also did some scouting for the Toronto Maple Leafs and operated a successful hockey school for numerous years. It was during his time as a coach that Tom was able to leave a lasting impression on several young men, some of whom went on to play and coach at the NHL level as well as in Europe. When his coaching days were over Tom returned to playing the game he loved. He was a member of the Saskatoon Old Pros for a number of years and played Oldtimers hockey well into his 70’s.
Tom was a humble person who always put his family and others first, he never wanted to be in the spotlight or singled out for any reason. His greatest accomplishment was that of husband and father. Tom supported all his children and grandchildren regardless of their chosen pursuits with quiet (and sometimes not so quiet) encouragement. Most of Tom’s life lessons were based off his own life experience and delivered to family by the way of a story. Many of those stories have become legendary family lore and will be repeated for generations to come.
The family would like to recognize the wonderful and compassionate care shown to our father for the past 2.5 years by the staff and management at Luther Special Care Home, Temperance Munroe Neighborhood, as well as Dr. Arun Nayar. The family will be forever grateful. You truly are special people.
At Tom’s request, there will be no formal service. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Tom’s name to the Luther Care Foundation at 1212 Osler Street, Saskatoon, SK S7N 0T9. Arrangements in care of Ashley Knash – Mourning Glory Funeral Services (306) 978-5200.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Tom Meldrum September 17 2021..
Mourning Glory Funeral Services
Death notice for the town of: Saskatoon, Province: Saskatchewan