My dad passed away February 7, 2004

How do you condense 67 years of life into a eulogy?

Henri Jean Baptiste Thomas Fortin was born November 2, 1936 at South Knife Lake.

During his growing up years dad was taught by his father. He never had any formal education and yet he, as one Northern Affairs official stated, was a mechanical genius. At the age of 10 years old, dad could take apart an engine and put it back together. He learned so much growing up in the North. He learned how to hunt and fish and in turn shared those skills with his younger siblings and children. Aunt Marie told me, that she would chop wood, and as a real little guy dad would carry it piece by piece. From an early age he learned positive work ethics.

I remember him telling me that at the young age of 7 he would check the trapline by dogteam and he would be so exhausted he would fall into the sleigh and go to sleep and the dogs would bring him home.

His sisters and brothers were always watching, never really knowing what stunt Tom would pull next. He was such a big tease. Even the family cat enjoyed his cuddling until the cat realised dad had walked to the end of the dock and was about to drop it in the lake.

Another story I remember hearing was when Uncle Wilfred was on the beach and dad decided in his mischievous mind to run down and push him into the water. Aunt Bert was up near the house, saw what was about to happen and let out a yell, Wilfred moved, and dad tripped and ended up sliding out on the lake and sinking.

He was never short of antics! One story I remember him telling me was when his mother wanted the dogteam hitched. He had the idea to put some fast dogs on a fast sleigh, next thing he knew, his mom had gone very fast down the path, and coming around a sharp curve was hurled into the snow. Next thing he knew, his mom, wielding a frying pan, was chasing him! Of course he could outrun her.

After his father passed away dad moved the family to Churchill. He took on the responsibility of caring for his mother, brothers and sisters.

In 1959, he met my mother and they were married on December 27, 1960. During these early years dad worked as a garbage collector for the Department of Public Works, as a mechanic in 1959 for COMSTOCK, For the Department of National Defence as a driver and then he won a millrite competition.

During this time he also built a house for us. He did all the carpentry, built the cupboards, all the woodwork, the electrical and plumbing. He put in the furnace and heat ducts, a flush toilet, running water and a bathtub. Not many homes in Churchill could boast all this!

He not only had an aptitude for electrical and plumping, but also was a mechanical genius. He had changed my grandma's car from a standard to an automatic! He was a really smart guy!

He also had a love of flying and during these early years took his pilot's license. He had this in 1963-64 and soon after purchased his first plane. (Stinson, CF-EYD.)
By this time my brother Eric was born, missionary neighbour’s we had, George and Bessie McPeek, told of one occasion mom was away and dad was caring for Eric and me. They invited us for supper and I could feed myself, but dad fed Eric. George recalled dad saying, "Here have a bite, ok, have a drink and wash it down... Here have a bite, ok, have a drink and wash it down." Dad loved his children.

He also told of a number of times when those fledgling missionarie’s oil in the furnace was either too thick for the furnace to work or the oil had run out. Dad would go in the wee hours of the morning to get it started again. He was always helping missionaries.

The next one on the scene was Keith, born in 1967. In 1969, Dad decided to move south to Thompson and was hired by INCO as a first class mechanic. It was not long and dad was working as a foreman. People recognised dad's ability to see a problem and see the solution to the problem.

During all the years since he had his pilot's license, dad was motivated to help missionaries. John Goodrich, a missionary with Continental mission said, "Tom was a very good friend; he let us use his plane many times. He flew for Continental Mission on a number of occasions. I had many good times with Tom. He died doing what he liked to do - hunt."

He would also fly people from the Gideon's to deliver Bibles to places like Thicket Portage. Dad never stopped helping missionaries. One time dad was flying, and he had a passenger from Winnipeg, the man asked, "Who has the map?" Dad's answer? "Who needs a map?" He could fly all over the North without using a map.
Helping missionaries didn't stop at just flying, but he helped Bud Elford with translation of New Testament books of the bible, and also he translated half of the hymns in the Déne hymnbook into Déne. One of his favourite being, "How Great Thou Art."

Dad was such a hard worker, that in Thompson, he decided in addition to his job, to start a business called, "Tom's Appliances." After work and on his days off, he would repair other people's washing machines, dryers, furnaces, and stoves.

In 1971, my youngest brother Mark was born. Dad would take us skidooing, out for wiener roasts, berry picking, and in Churchill years before, whale watching. As a family we went on a canoe trip from Setting Lake to Ospewagon Lake.
He was a real outdoorsman and loved doing things with his children. He would fly us to bible camp in the summer. Instead of us having to take the train and long boat trip to Midway Bible camp.

In 1974, Dad won a competition with Northern Affairs to be the town supervisor of South Indian Lake. The family moved there in 1975. It was a real outdoors experience. The boys got in more hunting and fishing with dad. I remember going with him in his Cessna 180 and he let me take off and fly. The time spent in South Indian Lake was special although dad worked even harder there.

I remember when I went away to Caronport High School, he wrote me a couple of letters, but he would send me dried caribou meat, while my classmate’s parents were sending them cookies! He wrote in his letter how much he missed my cooking. I remember when I would make cake donuts, he used to love that!
And he continued to help missionaries. Judy came to South Indian Lake as a Baptist Missionary with Baptist International Missions Inc. That is when our family first met Judy.

On November 23, 1986 dad divorced mom, on December 26, 1986 he married Judy.

Almost a year later, Mary came into the world. Two years later, Amy came into the world.

Dad had bought property in Grandview and moved his new family to Grandview. He still had good contact with my brothers.

It took me almost 5 years for God to work in my heart to come to a place where I could accept what happened. Dad was sensitive to my feelings and continued to "be there" for my special days. He wasn't one to easily say, "I love you." But he made an effort to be at all my graduations, from Caronport High School and Briercrest Bible College, to my BA degree from the U of M, and in 2001, from a Bachelor of Social Work degree at the U of M. He also attended my wedding.

One year after our wedding, dad visited us at the Holiday Inn, and after a good conversation with my husband and I, decided that we needed to be friends and start with a clean slate.

Last year, I wrote him a letter from America, where my husband was working for 4 months. I expressed to him, things he did that hurt me, and also things he did that helped me. I learned stick-to-itivism, and I learned to work hard, even though it was a different kind of work. I have many characteristics that are like my dad, some good and some not so good.

I suppose the stubbornness characteristic is most like him, in me. It stood me in good stead when I was a passenger in a plane that crashed. Dad helped to look for me, and found me in The Pas hospital. I remember him holding my hand, telling me not to talk so much, and telling me, "I love you" for the first time in my memory. I always thought he loved the boys more.

Reconciliation is a wonderful thing. The last time I spoke with my dad was almost three weeks ago. He was in a coffee shop, and he said, "Love you" and my response was, " love you too."

The thing that this reminds me of the most is, Ephesians 4:20-27. (The Message)

But that's no life for you. You learned Christ! My assumption is that you have paid careful attention to him, been well instructed in the truth precisely as we have it in Jesus. Since, then, we do not have the excuse of ignorance, everything—and I do mean everything—connected with that old way of life has to go. It's rotten through and through. Get rid of it! And then take on an entirely new way of life—a God-fashioned life, a life renewed from the inside and working itself into your conduct as God accurately reproduces his character in you. What this adds up to, then, is this: no more lies, no more pretense. Tell your neighbor the truth. In Christ's body we're all connected to each other, after all. When you lie to others, you end up lying to yourself.
Go ahead and be angry. You do well to be angry—but don't use your anger as fuel for revenge. And don't stay angry. Don't go to
bed angry. Don't give the Devil that kind of foothold in your life.

It was so good, and it was too short. We were friends. And I loved him.

After questioning different family and friends these are the one or two word answers I received.

What made Tom special?

• He was smart
• A big tease
• A sense of humour
• Showed a concern for others
• Conscientious worker
• Anything he did he could do well
• Good at cheering people up
• Made others feel welcomed
• Very versatile

His talents?

• Mechanical genius


• Translator


• He had many talents!


• Flying and not getting lost!
  
• Fixing anything mechanical, electrical etc.
  
  Dad was even a hero. He rescued different people in different situations that I don't know the details of, but one story I remember was of someone who was overweight when he got lost, and when dad finally located him, that man's belt had lots of space!
  

What little characteristics did dad display?
* He used to tug on my hair
* He gave whisker rubs
* Playfully choked
* Always would tuck Mary's hair behind her ears. Mary says it must be a family trait because Uncle Wilfred did that to her also.

• Dad faced challenges in his life and over came them.
• He had no formal schooling but excelled in anything he put his heart and mind into.
• My plane crash was a trying time for my family.
• Didn't like Polar bears, or any kind of bears really.
• He Didn't like the city.
• Probably his biggest challenge was the fight with the Manitoba Government and the highways department. This fight caused him a lot of stress as he put so much into it, only to be screwed by the Manitoba Government.
  
  He even faced discrimination from bankers. I remember once when he went to try and get a bank loan and they wouldn't give it to him, and mom went and she got it.
  
  Where/when was he happiest?
  When we were young children, we went on picnics and whale watching, skidooing, picking berries, fishing and flying.
  When he was story telling. He always loved telling a good story.
  
  What gave him pleasure?
  His children and grandchildren
  His work, flying and hunting
  Music, he loved singing and fiddle music
  Festival de Voyageur
  

How did I feel about dad?

• I was proud of him, and of all he accomplished
• I loved him
• He was special
• He was looked up to, an example
• Colleen said he was like a second father to her
• Mary says he was her best friend

How would Tom like to be remembered?

• By the way he was
• As a simple man who tried to do what was right
• Honest in business
• A man of integrity
• Good provider
• Hard worker
• Helpful
• A blessing
• Friendly and kind
• Story teller
• Family man
• Outdoorsman

My dad's life was not a wasted one. He didn't sit on the sidelines and let it pass him by. He was active; he loved life. He loved…