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THOMAS MORLEY Obituary
He leaves his longtime friend Gillian Halstead, their son Luke Halstead and grandson Thomas.
Tom Morley was born in 1920, the second of four children of Professor John Morley and Molly Simon of Manchester, England. In the British tradition, he went to boarding school at the age of seven - first the Dragon School and then Rugby. While he was at the Dragon School, Tom's beloved mother died, a loss that stayed with Tom all his life and which drew him very close to his older brother, Jim.
After Rugby, Tom went up to Oxford to study medicine and while there, in anatomy class, he met Helen Briggs, one of only two women in his year. Tom and Helen married in 1943 and honeymooned in England's Lake District, a place to which they returned throughout their lives to walk by the lakes and climb the fells. In 1944 Tom joined the RAF and was posted to Pune, India - and he remained enamoured of India for the rest of his life. Tom's younger brother, Dick, a gifted RAF navigator, was killed in World War II.
After the war, Tom specialized in neurosurgery under Sir Geoffrey Jefferson and in 1953, with Helen and their two young daughters, Jane and Rosamund, he immigrated to Toronto where the couple's third child David was born.
In 1963, Tom became the head of the Division of Neurosurgery at the Toronto General Hospital. Under his leadership, Toronto became the largest neurosurgery training program in Canada and one of the largest and most academically productive in the world - a position it still holds today. In Canada alone, neurosurgeons trained by Tom Morley have practiced in Victoria, Vancouver, Calgary, Edmonton, Regina, Winnipeg, Thunder Bay, Sudbury, Hamilton, Toronto, Ottawa, Montreal, Quebec City and Halifax. His international students span the globe. Tom remained Professor Emeritus at the University of Toronto until his death.
Upon his retirement from surgery in 1985, Tom turned to a career of letters and was the general editor of the 22 volume Canadian Medical Lives series - capped by his own biography of Canada's first neurosurgeon, Kenneth McKenzie.
Tom had a gift for making people feel at ease. He was loved and admired by his students, patients and friends. His family adored him. He was wise, strong, demanding, compassionate and very loveable.
He embraced his adopted homeland and, by canoe and sailboat, became an ardent explorer of Canada's waterways and the Canadian Shield. He also planted thousands of trees, many of which have grown to become mature forests in the Oak Ridges Morraine.
For the last two years of his life, Tom was cared for with kindness, patience and love by a wonderful group of caregivers led by Lanie Deang and Tricia Trillana. After he died quietly at home, they spoke for all of us when they said: "Dr. Tom, we will miss your smile."
A service of celebration for the life of Tom Morley will be held on Saturday, May 5 at 10:30 a.m. at BLOOR STREET UNITED CHURCH, 300 Bloor Street West, Toronto. Donations in Tom's memory may be made to the Toronto and Region Conservation Authority through The Living City Foundation to plant trees in the East Duffins Headwaters to further the conservation of this unique and vital environment. http://thelivingcity.org/morley
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for THOMAS MORLEY
5 Entries
Gabrielle Untermann
May 4, 2012
Tom always reminded me of my late father. He and Helen were like second parents to me when I moved out to Claremont in 86. Westney Road hasn't been the same since they moved back into the city. Our deepest sympathy to David, Elizabeth and all the family.
Gabrielle and Gerd Untermann
Maryann Madore
May 4, 2012
David & Elizabeth,
Our deepest condolences to you and your family.
The Madore Family (Leo, Maryann & Andrea)
Tom Hawks
May 3, 2012
I grew up across the street from Dr. Morley and followed his lead to live in the country near him later in life. I often think Tom fondly and as the source of many inspirations to me through my life.
As a boy, my young friend David's father took us to Claremont for a weekend or two, when we were just boys, and introduced me to the beauty of the area. This clearly made a lasting impression on me and contributed to the direction of my own homesteading in the area decades later, just a stone's throw away from Tom & Helen's place.
Dr. Morley, the tree surgeon, gave his best efforts one morning with rope and chain trying to save the mature maple tree on our front lawn when it was splitting under the weight of a winter storm's ice and snow. It was evident trees were important to him and he cared for each one of them. I have volunteered with the TRCA as a Steward to protect the forests in Claremont and Uxbridge for 10 years now.
In 1972 when I was 18, the ex-pat. and cyclist, Tom Morley spent hours pouring over maps of Great Britain with me as I was preparing to head over to cycle around the British Isles for a summer with a friend. He gave me much good advice and I could tell he was genuinely excited about our adventure as he reminisced about his homeland.
I'm sure those funky early generation Volkswagon's parked at 111 Ridge Dr., across the street from my home, owned by such a sensible couple of doctors influenced my choice of cars. My father and sister have only ever owned Fords - I, on the other hand, have only ever owned Morley influenced VWs - I think I'm on my 6th or 7th.
I'll never forget having Tom & Helen for a visit to our home in the country 15 years ago. After lunch we were getting ready for a walk, he was ready first and headed out the back door on his own. When we emerged a few minutes later, there he was splitting a long line of rounds I'd left standing ready to be split. He wouldn't stop until they were all done! He must have been 75-80 at the time, but still had the energy, strength and skill to swing an 8lb splitting axe, and loved to do it.
He was truly a man for all seasons and one who loved the countryside of his adopted land. I've been truly privileged to know him throughout most of my life, and he has most certainly and consistently been an inspiration to me in every one of my 6 decades.
Rest assured that your Tom lives on every day in this Tom. I'll be holding my memories of him close and carrying him forward through my remaining years to inspire me to live as vital a last third of my life as he did his.
With many fond memories,
Tom
Ignacio Alvarado
May 3, 2012
Dr. Thomas P. Morley, quienes lo conocimos nos quedamos con el grato recuerdo de su vida y con la tranquilidad de que ahora, gracias a Dios, Descanse en Paz.
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U of T Meds, 1980
May 2, 2012
I had the great privilege of taking an elective with Dr. Morley in 1977 when I was a mere second-year medical student. Notwithstanding my ignorance and incompetence, Dr. Morley treated me kindly and with respect. To this day, I recall his gentle yet dignified manner and the genuine concern he held for his patients. And, to this day as well, I have yet to meet another doctor who epitomized all that is good about the profession as much as did 'TP'.
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