Thomas’ Obituary
Passed suddenly but peacefully away in the arms of his loving wife, Thomas L Burrell on Sunday, January 2nd, 2022 at the Sir Thomas Roddick Hospital, Stephenville at the age of 79 years.
He leaves to mourn: loving and dedicated wife of 56 years, Mary Loretta Burrell (nee Retieffe); brother-in-law Raymond (Mary) of Three Rock Cove; and sister-in-law Dola Bungay of Ft. McMurray; as well as a large circle of nieces, nephews, extended relatives and friends scattered all over NL, Canada, and the United States.
Tom was predeceased by: parents Gordon and Coletta Burrell; uncle Raymond (Kay) Burrell; special brother-in-law Sammy Retieffe; sister-in-law Kitty Duffenais; and parents-in-law Phillip and Sarah Retieffe.
Following his wishes, cremation has taken place and a funeral service will be held at a later date.
As expressions of sympathy, donations in Tom’s memory may be made to your local food bank, the Gathering Place, or a charity of your choice.
Tom was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1942, He came to Stephenville as a Secret Service First Class Security Clearance member of the American Air Force in the summer of 1963. Tom loved Stephenville and Harmon and flying; and often bragged about his flights in the faster than sound F-102 Fighter Jet Aircraft- proudly bragging that the G-forces never made him sick, unlike some other members of his crew.
As a young 18 year old teenager Tom saw the Lennon Sisters and Pat Boone at a big outdoor concert in Shaker Heights, Ohio, an event he never forgot and he often talk about. He never forgot the experience and remained a fan of the Lennon Sisters and Pat Boone for the rest of his life. Tom loved music and he had an enviable collection of vinyl including many artists of the 50s, 60s, 70s, 80s, and 90s but the dominant vinyl in his collection was Elvis Presley. If Elvis put out 500 LPs, Tom had every one of them! And not just records, he was an inveterate collector of Elvis memorabilia. He even had an Elvis Presley quilt made for him by his special friends Reg and Lisa Meaney.
It was during his posting at Harmon AFB that Tom met the love of his life- Mary Loretta (Retieffe) Burrell from Stephenville-Lourdes-Three Rock Cove. They were married by Father RT White on October 23, 1965 at the church in Piccadilly. Pending a posting to California and an anticipated posting to Vietnam, the happily married young couple planned to honeymoon in California, where Tom promised Loretta she would get to meet big “Hoss” of the Cartwright Clan TV fame. But it was not to be; a devastating accident at the Base Gym in Stephenville on February 24, 1966 changed forever the course of life for Tom and Loretta. Fouled making a basketball layup, the 6ft3 lover of basketball was knock to the floor and an ensuing head injury sent Tom to the local hospital and from there he was flown to the Walter Reed Hospital in Washington DC. Loretta was by his side on the flight to Reed and one can say she stay faithfully by his side for the rest of his life. Tom never recovered from the right side paralysis that resulted from the basketball accident. Tom and Loretta spent 3 months at Reed and he was then transferred to the McGuire Veterans Hospital in Virginia, where he spent 18 more months before Loretta brought him back home to NL.
For Loretta, the two years at Walter Reed and McGuire were life changing experiences. It was during the Vietnam War and some of the war casualties and injuries she saw at the hospitals and some of her experiences helping the wounded who were patients in the room with Tom gave her an empathy relevant to the problems of others that influenced her for the rest of her life.
Tom never recovered physically from his accident but he did recover his love of life and its good times. Together with Loretta they experienced all the ups and downs, joys and sorrows of a full and active lifestyle. Loretta dedicated her life to making sure that she and Tom lived life to the fullest! He attended every big concert that came to town- Charlie Pride was a favourite; he attended boxing matches in Corner Brook- one of his favourite sports; and though he was slow with his full braced leg he kept on the move and travelled extensively throughout NL, Canada, and the US.
Tom visited Branch, a little community in St. Mary’s Bay, NL, the home of his good friends RNC Police Chief Leonard Power, Bruce Power, and Father Peter where Loretta cooked up a feed of rabbit stew that they are still talking about.
Rest in Peace Tom. We will never forget your patience and pleasant disposition through all of your trials.
A special thought to his friend Rose Nodine- a cousin of Loretta’s who was so helpful to Tom and Loretta in so many ways; and to our friend Sheila Bennett who has been a source of help and strength; and finally a big thank you to Tom’s caregivers over the past several years, Sandra Flaven and Bruce Madore.
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Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Thomas L Burrell August 18 1942 January 02 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Stephenville, Province: T-N