We’ve added a slideshow video tribute to honour Dad’s life. It’s a heartfelt look back at the moments we cherish most. You’re invited to view it here.

https://youtu.be/pIEISzhGoWY?…

Sharing Tom's Tribute by Lynne Paradis

TRIBUTE TOM OLIVER
Contributions by Lynne Paradis
(with generous contributions from family and friends)
November 2025

INTRODUCTION
Welcome to a celebration today to recognize a truly remarkable man –Tom Oliver: aka Uncle Tom, Grandpa, Tom Cat, Tommy. I am Lynne Paradis and have been a sister-in-law to Tom since he married my sister Gail in 1967. It is a honor to share with you some of the memories of Tom that made him such a treasured part of our lives. I will share family stories and a bit later Tom’s good friend and career colleague, Jim Guthrie, will speak to Tom’s professional life.
In preparation for today I asked many friends and family to share a couple words that first came to mind in describing Tom. The words they shared help describe the lasting impact Tom had on the people he knew and loved. Interestingly, many similar themes emerged in home, family, community and the workplace showing how Tom was with everyone he came to know. He was authentic with everyone.
He had a way of making every PERSON FEEL SEEN AND VALUED whether in a conversation over morning coffee, late night debates/discussions or playing crazy games. He was a fun loving and active participant to friends and family sharing countless adventures over the years including mountain hikes, family reunions and holiday gatherings, international travels, paddling excursions, or in just sharing a meal or working together on a project

LOVING, CARING, SENSITIVE TO OTHERS (ROMANTIC)
Where did it all start? It began in 1966. I grew to love this special person from my first impressions of him when I was 12 years old. Gail was in high school (drinking age 21 at the time) and her and a friend wanted to have a weekend adventure but needed someone with a car and someone who could get them some alcohol. Maddy, the friend, suggested they contact her cousin Tom. Tom showed up to group date with a car as planned but declined the invite to purchase alcohol. That first meeting must have been impressive because him and Gail began a courtship and subsequent marriage of 58 years. I didn’t know much about weddings but vividly imprinted in my memories now is a moment at their wedding reception in 1967 when Tom declared his love for my sister and dedicated a trumpet solo -- I believe it was the song ‘I am In the Mood for Love.’ These heartfelt and powerful solo brought the large number of wedding guests to tears. I remember thinking ‘this guy is crazy courageous and this is what true love is about.’ My first impression of Tom lasted and was: “I really like this new guy in our family.’ At the 25 th wedding anniversary he replayed that trumpet all showing his unwavering dedication and love for his wife and got the crowd whimpering again. Tom was also a talented BEAR Hugger. He was never the first to let go of a hearty hug and he was soft and cuddly. I will miss these friendly displays of love and friendship and how good they made one feel.

MUSICAL
His joy through music continued with that special trumpet in its very worn green carry case surfacing at many family reunions, campfire get togethers, weddings and summer adventures. Very notably I recall a touching tribute when he proudly stood on the balcony of their condo, during covid , blasting to the Vancouver public a tribute (a global trend at 7:00 each evening) to the brave nurses (Cory, his daughter being one) and medical staff who were risking their lives in dedication of tending to covid emergencies
His children and grandchildren were often treated (cringe worthy moments) during deep sleeps on early Christmas mornings with the loud trumpeted sounds of Reville as a ‘Tommy wake up’ and a musical signal to get started on Santa fun. Music was joyful for him and he shared this through trumpet, whistling, humming, and singing with others.

OPTIMISTIC, PATIENT, UNFLAPPABLE
Everyone I interviewed mentioned this positive character trait: “He was a patient gentleman’, ‘the most patient person I know’, ‘he was the calm in the storm’ , ‘you couldn’t rattle Tom’, ‘he had a special way to calm others down.’
On a spectrum of patience Tom was here……. And Gail a strong match was way over here--On the other end of the continuum for immediate responses. Together they made a wonderful match and provided many of us with moments of entertainment when patience traits were tested. Anyone here who has had the experience of being in a car when Tom was driving and Gail in the pilot seat would see his unflappable character in action. Gail would squeal as the helpful navigator: Tom! “ What are you doing -- Turn! switch lanes!, watch that truck! and on and on. Those kind of explosive outbursts would have caused many of us to hit the ditch but Tom remained unflappable and drove deliberately on.

HELPFUL/GENEROUS
He was a community and family supporter he volunteered generously. Whether it was playing trumpet at Remembrance Day celebrations, being an Olympic volunteer, helping out on his kids sports teams or clubs, being a champion cheerleader and always eager to help out . He was a generous contributor on many family home projects ( garage building, landscaping, or home reno building projects).

WITTY/SENSE OF HUMOR,CHUCKLES
Tom could also be a bit of a stinker. Especially if you got him talking about the energy industry, politics or religion (OMG -- don’t get him started on Pierre Trudeau and the NEP). When he would get that TWINKLE in his eye it was a sign he was pulling your leg and egging you on.
He was always eager to join in games but was also known for occasional cheating at games----- scrabble and card games being particular traps for his nonsense (NO TOM – Snitix is not a word! ) He also never backed away from a good debate – and could be the last the let a good debate end.

INNOVATIVE, CLEVER
He was clever and creative in art… his love of the north and Arctic significantly impacted his paintings. He also dabbled in local nature art, trying different styles and using visual art to capture feelings and expressions of the world around him.
He was Mr. Fix It -- often tackling repairs with unique repairs. There wasn’t anything broken that he wouldn’t try to fix and as his children noted - “Dad helped me with so much on projects and I learned so much from him’, ‘he really enjoyed interesting gadgets.’
He was always creating something but kitchen gadgets were a favorite. More recently a condo reno resulted in many floor to ceiling cupboards. For two modestly heighted people like Tom and Gail the added storage was a plus but access was a challenge. After puttering about and trying various proto -types he created a Tom Kitchen Kreation that reaches 12 foot cupboards, opens them silently, grabs an item, pierces it gently and permits the operator to guide the item gently to ground level. His cleverness in action provided lot of appreciation by others.

PRESENT/ENGAGED
He listened and was generous is sharing his time. His grandchildren (all children) loved him for his enthusiasm to join in games (especially CASH CAB) and the opportunities he created for them to share personal expression through painting. Tom would set up a mini studio with paint choices and canvases and model painting techniques -- many of these child created mini masterpieces form art collections in family homes.
Once in retirement he became Tom the Chief chef/cook and was very comfortable puttering around in the kitchen creating wonderful meals. He wrestled many an oversized turkey on special occasions and preferred to be the cook and leave clean-up to Gail. Miami, I suspect you will always remember a week before he passed and your parents were travelling so Tom and Gail stayed with you. One day Grandpa cooked up a special batch of fresh bread for you to enjoy and timed it specifically, so it was ready when you came home from school. He wanted you to know you were special and to enjoy the warm aromas of fresh baking bread as you arrived. You loved it and you and your grand-parents had a carbohydrate feast of warm bread/butter.

CLOSING
The Oliver home has always been a welcome pad for friends and visitors. It didn’t have timelines as if you arrived at the home you were made welcome.
Friends of his children noted in their responses – ‘Your Dad was one of the good ones.’ Several responded -‘He was a second Dad to me’, ‘He was Tom Cat and we loved him dearly’, ‘We always felt welcome and comfortable at your house.’
From his family
“The best Dad and Grandpa ever, an awesome uncle and in-law, the wisest, calmest gentleman I know. His zest for life was a positive model for us all. The most loving and caring Dad anyone could have.”
We will remember you Tom and the special way you made us feel when we enjoyed your company. Your chuckles, sense of humor and love for others will be missed but remembered fondly.
As our celebration evening unfolds I invite everyone here to share good memories of Tom with each other.
Thank you.

And copy of Tom's Worklife by Jim Guthrie:

The Working Life of Tom Oliver

1965 – 1974 : Tom went to work for British American Oil (BA) as a clerk in their Edmonton Area office, Production Operations Oil & Gas, and quickly became part of the Forecasting team. They forecasted production volumes, revenues, royalties, mineral taxes & operating costs. BA became Gulf Canada Resources Ltd. on April 1, 1969.

1975 – 1981: Tom was transferred to work on the Forecasting team in the Gulf Canada Resources Ltd. Calgary office, Production Operations Oil & Gas.

1982 – 1983 : I first met Tom Oliver in 1982 when he came to work for the Beaufort Sea Drilling System team in Calgary. I always remember that a co-worker, Mike Walsh, knew Tom from before and asked me if I knew him, I said No, and Mike said “you will like him”!

“You will like him”; that simple sentence was very prophetic, I liked him over the next ½ of our lives and had the good fortune to work with him on many different projects over several decades.

1983 – 1989 : Tom became part of the Gulf Oil team that was designing 2 Offshore Drilling Rigs, 4 Class 4 Icebreakers, and a land Base Camp for Tuktoyaktuk and a Floating Base Camp for Herschel Island in the Western Arctic. Tom had responsibility for the cost estimates of the Base Camps, a budget of $25 million, after they were built Tom managed the Tuk Base that provided all the logistical support to the offshore fleet. BeauDril was in full operation from 1983 to 1989 when the project closed due to low world oil prices.

1991 – 1993 : When Beaufort Sea Operations closed down, Gulf quickly sent Tom on a new challenge, to a Joint Venture project in Russia called KomiArcticOil (KAO). This was the very first JV of its kind in Russia, Gulf had partnered with a Russian Oil Company, in the Komi Republic, and KAO eventually became the 1st foreign company to ship crude oil from Russia into Europe. This project was very challenging and interesting, working with the Russian colleagues was a real learning experience for both sides. The project land was all North of the Arctic circle right up to the Arctic Ocean. KAO shared this land with the “Reindeer People” who still farmed large herds of Reindeer just North of the drilling sites and seismic operations, but with careful liaison with their management, problems were avoided, the company helped them with emergency medical helicopter flights, family visits to spend time in summer with the Reindeer herding men, and some fresh food. Tom was the Manager of Human Resources on this project and very instrumental in creating the positive work environment that was shared with our new colleagues, they are still friends today and stay in touch by FB and Texting.

1997 – 2000: Tom went to work on a Fluor Corporation project for Suncor, building a TransAlta Gas Turbine Co-Generation plant to power Suncor’s planned expansion called the Millennium Construction Project. When the TransAlta project was completed, Tom transferred to work on the Millennium Construction Project. On both of these projects Tom was responsible for camp support to thousands of workers, plus Union negotiations.

2001 – 2003 : Tom & Gail both went to work for Arctic Oil & Gas Services (AOGS) and moved to Inuvik where the head office of the company was located. AOGS provided Camps & Catering to Companies exploring for Oil & Gas in the Mackenzie Delta and along the Arctic Coast, at one time AOGS was managing 20 different camps. Tom was responsible for budgeting, cost control and Human Resources.

2004 + : Tom had become very knowledgeable over the years about (HSE) Health, Safety & the Environment and Auditing, and now put this knowledge to good work. He had been a neighbor and a friend of a man who had started a very successful pipe cleaning and coating company, the kind of pipes you use to build pipelines. It is called Garneau Industries and operates out of Nisku, Alberta. Tom recommended to his friend that he should get an audit down on all the work practices and procedures of their business, as they used a lot of very strong chemicals that could be hazardous to the health of the workers if the work was not done under strict procedures. Garneau had never done this before, and to their credit they agreed to Tom’s very thorough audit! This was so successful that the next thing Tom did was recommend to Garneau that he should go to China and audit the Chinese pipe supplier, they agreed and off to China he went!

Well, that is the limit of my knowledge of the very interesting, challenging and successful career of this man “that I really liked and admired”!

Tom, a man of the world! Tom the Bugler, Tom the Painter, Tom the Dragon Boat Racer, Tom the devoted husband of Gail and the loving father of Traci, Robby and Cory. A life well lived; a man well loved!

Jim Guthrie
November 28, 2025