THOMAS HUSSON GLASSEY

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THOMAS (TOM) HUSSON GLASSEY It is with sadness we announce the passing of Tom Glassey on December 29, 2015 at the Hospital in Gimli, Manitoba. On St. Patrick's Day, 1990, Tom met his soul mate (Sandy) at Number One Legion on Notre Dame Avenue between Maryland and McGee Street. Sandy was a widow at the time and being Irish she had taken her Aunt and two friends to the Legion for St. Patrick Day celebrations. Unbeknownst to Sandy, Tom had seen her coming in with the three old dears (as he affectionately called them), taking their coats off and making sure they had a comfortable chair. Once they were settled, Sandy went up to the bar and bought a jug of green beer for her two friends and a glass of wine for her aunt. On the way back to her table she heard this voice saying "You're not going to drink that are you"? She turned and smiled at Tom and said "No, but my friends are!". After a while the McConnell School of Dancers came on and later it was announced that the dance floor was open to everyone. A short time later, Tom came over to their table and asked the ladies if he could take Sandy up to dance? While dancing, Tom asked Sandy for her phone number and normally she would have graciously declined to give a stranger her number. However, the fairies must have been spreading their magic. Eventually, Sandy drove the ladies home and really didn't think she would hear from Tom. Next evening her phone rang and much to her surprise Tom was at the other end. From that day forward they were never apart - either at his condominium or at her home in Transcona. In August of 1990 Tom took Sandy to Halifax for the IF Conference where she got to meet all the other Business Agents and their wives. From that time on Sandy would always rent a car wherever they were and while the husbands were working during the day Sandy would drive the ladies to wherever they wanted to go. Sandy was often helpful in the office for Tom if his secretary Karen was swamped with work or not feeling well. On St. Patrick's Day, 1991 Tom gave Sandy an engagement ring and on November 21 of that year they were married in the Wee Kirk O' the Heather in Las Vegas. Jim Nitchie was Tom's best man and June Francis was Sandy's bridesmaid. After the ceremony, they were driven back to the Riviera Hotel and Casino and stayed in the Honeymoon Suite. Two days later they flew to San Francisco for the 36th General Convention for the United Brotherhood of Carpenters and Joiners of America. In the fall of 1991, Tom and Sandy decided they would build a home in Siglavik which means "Sailing Bay" in Norwegian. Siglavik is approximately five kilometers north of Gimli. Tom had previously purchased a one-half acre lot in 1988 and all the lots also came with waterfront views. By June of 1992 their home was complete. Siglavik was Willie Arnason's lifelong dream and both Sandy and Tom were glad Willie saw his dream come to fruition. Tom and Sandy were also glad they had a place for their grandchildren to come to. They have 11 grandchildren and just recently were "Blessed" with their first great-granchchild. In 1997 Tom decided to retire and they moved to Siglavik permanently. In the winters they enjoyed driving to Los Angeles, Palm Springs, Mexico, B.C. and other warm climates but always enjoyed returning to their home in Siglavik. Unfortunately, in the fall of 2014 Sandy started to see Tom slowing down quite a bit. At first she wondered if Tom was just getting lazy but soon ruled that out and began to wonder if it had something to do with their not being able to travel this past couple of years. In April of 2015 Sandy made an appointment with their family doctor who ordered several tests for Tom. By the middle of May, Tom had been diagnosed with a three centimeter tumor in his lung and surgery was not an option due to his COPD, he began 33 treatments of Radiation. Halfway through his treatments he was diagnosed with invasive bladder cancer which spread to his liver by September. Originally, he was given a lifespan of approximately a year to a year and a half, but once the cancer has spread to his liver and adrenal gland we were told he might have six months. Unfortunately, that was not be as the cancer spread once again to his brain. During all this Sandy tried not to let Tom know her heart was breaking. The one good thing was that Tom never experienced any pain until the day before his passing. Up to that point he always watched for her arrival as his room faced the open driveway of the hospital and when he saw her coming they would give each other a wave. Somehow, he always knew when she reached his door and would call out "That's my Sandy". However, on December 28 his curtains weren't open and she was shocked to see him writhing in pain when she got to his room. The staff was wonderful and tried their best to make Tom comfortable. That night Sandy stayed at the hospital with him and he passed away at 3:15 a.m. on her birthday, December 29. Tom was 79 years old and had hoped he would last till his 80th birthday. Unfortunately, this was not to be!! At this time I would like to say what a blessing my cousin Sheri has been throughout our journey. She never missed any of our appointments and went above and beyond doing everything in her power to help us along!! Left to mourn Tom's passing is his wife Sandy Glassey. They were together for 25 wonderful years and had their 24th Wedding Anniversary on November 21. Also mourning his passing are his two daughters in Scotland; Margo Davidson and Anna Glassey. His son Alex from Victoria, B.C. his daughter Barbara and son-in-law Tom from Nova Scotia as well as his son Tom and daughter-in-law Elisabeth from Connecticut. Grandchildren Anna Canning, Gordon Duncan, Paul Duncan and Michael Davidson from Scotland; Lewis Glassey and Tabea, Keyomi Glassey, Benjamin Ayers-Glassey and Lena, Samantha Ayers-Glassey from Canada; Liam, Hanna and Aidan Glassey from Connecticut. In November, 2015, Tom and Sandy were "Blessed" with their first great-grandson Touma. At this time Tom and Sandy would like to thank the marvelous doctors at CancerCare Manitoba in Winnipeg for their diligent car and compassion. Funeral Service will be held on Wednesday, January 6, 2015 at 2:00 p.m. at Thomson Funeral Home, 669 Broadway. Donations in Tom's memory may be made to Gimili Pallative Care Unit or CancerCare Manitoba. THOMSON FUNERAL HOME 669 BROADWAY, WINNIPEG, MB R3C 0X4 204-783-7211 Condolences may be sent to www.thomsonfuneralchapel.com

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As published in Winnipeg Free Press on Jan 02, 2016