David Jon THOMSON

1939 - 2020

DAVID JON THOMSON October 18, 1939 - February 13, 2020 David Jon Thomson, of Toronto, passed away on February 13, 2020 at St. Michael's Hospital in Toronto. He was 80 years old. David had overcome serious health issues for which he had been hospitalized in the fall. He had recently returned to his vibrant and active self when an unexpected heart issue ended his life. David was born in Medicine Hat, AB in 1939, the son of Wilfrid Laurier Thomson and Helga Thomson (née Bergman). David was the oldest of four children; brother to Louise, Kay, and Leora. The Thomson family lived in Redcliff, AB during his youth. David attended Medicine Hat High School, and in the summers he worked with his father Wilf at the Dominion Glass factory in Redcliff. With both parents urging him to invest in his education, David excelled at high school, attended University of Alberta and then University of Western Ontario, where he received his MBA in 1963, as part of a class of 106 men who are "considered to comprise one of the smartest and luckiest cohorts ever to attend a major Canadian business school." (Globe and Mail, 2003) David married Diane Beverley Gillies of Buckingham, QC after a short courtship in 1964. From 1967 to 1972, David worked on the campaigns of Pierre Trudeau and served as an aide and advisor in the Prime Minister's Office (PMO). While living in Ottawa, the couple had two daughters: Kristin, born in 1967 and Gillian, born in 1970. David shifted into commercial real estate in the 1970s, and the family moved to Edmonton, AB. His career with Oxford Properties led to additional moves, with the family residing in Calgary, Edmonton, Minneapolis and Denver. After managing a US portfolio of commercial mortgages for Great-West Life Assurance Co. in the late 1990s while living in Denver, David "retired" and he and Diane moved back to Toronto, happy to be close to friends that stretched back to his time at Western. David was an exceptional athlete and never one for lounging. He played basketball for the University of Alberta. In the 1970s, he took up marathon running, completing several, one in under 3 hours. David became an avid cyclist in the 1990s and, in recent years, rowed 10,000 meters a day on a rowing machine. He preferred walking down Yonge Street to pick up the daily newspapers, and was a master navigator of the labyrinth tunnels under downtown Toronto. He served on a number of corporate boards, and was the long-time chair of their condo board. His eagerness to stay active was also reflected in the annual walking trips he planned with a close cadre of friends. Over the years, David, Diane and friends walked hundreds of miles along the Thames River path, across Scotland, along the El Camino in Spain, and through small towns and vineyards in Tuscany. David was always the one up front, in the yellow jacket, with the map. David was particularly humbled by his family's heritage. His mother's father, Jon Tryggvi Bergman, emigrated from Iceland in 1900, and quickly established himself as a builder in Medicine Hat. To David's amazement and pride, the handsome apartment buildings that Jon Tyrggvi built in the 1930s are still occupied today. His father's father, George Thomson, arrived in Canada from Scotland in the early 1900s, and worked in the mines near Lethbridge, AB. His father's mother, who lived nearby, was an important influence in his life, and David cherished his time with "Nanny," a no-nonsense, tea-totalling Scot who lived to the age of 95. During a trip to Iceland to celebrate David and Diane's 50th wedding anniversary, the Thomson family visited the sod hut in which Jon Tryggvi had been born, and in a more recent trip, the family traversed the Scottish lands where David's forefathers worked as miners for three generations. David was frugal with his own needs. He eschewed extravagance and flash, and was not interested in spending money on unnecessary objects. He conducted most of his business for decades with the same gold pen and a yellow legal pad, writing in his tidy block capital hand. He had only three suits. After finishing books, he gave them away. He never checked luggage. He didn't even save emails; he just deleted them. He was, however, generous with his family, particularly when it came to funding education. In recent years, David also organized family reunion trips that brought together his three sisters and their spouses, children and grandchildren, creating lifelong bonds within a family living across several continents. His daughters Kristin and Gillian have pledged to continue organizing these trips going forward. David was a loyal friend. His Sunday mornings typically involved an ordered sequence of phone calls to check in with friends in Victoria, or Medicine Hat, or Denver. Every five years, he organized the reunions of MBA classmates from Western to celebrate the milestones and preserve connections among far-flung peers. David often marveled at his luck. When he compared his life to that of his grandparents and parents - especially his father Wilf, who worked at the glass factory and became deaf at 32 - he often stated his life was so much easier than theirs. But he also realized that it was his parents' insistence on a college education had been the foundation for years of success. This was a principle David instilled in his own daughters. David was a loving son and brother, a devoted husband, a doting father, uncle and grandfather, and a loyal friend to many. David Jon Thomson is survived by his wife, Diane, his daughters, Kristin and Gillian, their husbands, Bryan Dilworth and Kent Johnson, and three grandsons: Riley Dilworth, Duncan Johnson and Graham Johnson. The family will honor David's memory with a private gathering. A celebration of David's life will be held in Toronto in June 2020. In lieu of flowers, the family will be establishing an education scholarship in David's name, with details to follow. Condolences may be shared at davidthomsonmemories@gmail.com