Thomas Gardner
May 15, 1946 – February 16, 2026
It is with broken hearts and deep sadness that we announce the sudden passing of our legendary father, Tom Gardner (AKA “Big Red” - later in life AKA “Big White”), who leaves behind his beloved wife Alice—just shy of celebrating 60 years of marriage together.
Tom passed away on February 16, 2026 (Family Day) home in Vancouver, at the very precise age of 79.8. Tom always appreciated accuracy, and we’re confident he would insist we get that detail right.
Tom was an incredible husband, father, father-in-law, grandfather, mentor, and all-around legend who touched the lives of people of every age throughout his remarkable life. His presence guaranteed laughter, great stories, and a good time wherever he went. In Tom’s mind, everyone was his friend; whether the other person knew it yet was just a matter of time.
He will be remembered for his great jokes, extraordinary kindness, dry sense of humour, incredible generosity, strong work ethic, and his impressive knowledge of the world. But above all else, Tom loved his family deeply. Nothing made him prouder than being surrounded by them.
Tom was born on May 15, 1946, in Rosetown, Saskatchewan where he eventually met Alice. After spending some years bouncing around, they settled down in Calgary and started a family.
Tom spent his career with EECOL Electric and excelled as a business development manager in the Electrical business. His work took him far beyond home, including many years in South America helping build and grow the company—while undoubtedly making friends everywhere he went.
Tom and Alice shared a passion for travel and spent years exploring the world together surpassing 100 Countries visited. Tom especially loved telling stories from those adventures—preferably over a pint of Guinness, an Old Fashioned or a bottle of great red wine. Tom also had a passion for great food and was always willing to try local delicacy’s in ever country they traveled to - seafood or a perfectly cooked prime rib always stood out as his go-to.
Tom also loved golf and the many rounds spent with his sons and buddies. While the scorecard didn’t always reflect greatness, the laughs, the stories, and the friendships absolutely did. In Tom’s world, the best rounds were measured in good company—not good scores. It was a well-known fact that one of Tom’s favorite things was being paired with strangers, so he had a new audience for his one liners.
Tom is lovingly remembered by his devoted wife Alice; his three children Richard, Mike and Steve and their spouses; his seven grandchildren; his siblings, Bob (Bev) Gardner, Charles (Carol) Gardner, Susan (Dennis) Kozak, Dan (Michelle) Gardner, Brother-in-law Wilf Woodward, Sister-in-Law Vera Gardner. Tom was predeceased by his parents Gordon and Mary, and sister Donna Woodward and brother James.
If you met Tom once, chances are you were considered a friend for life. Tom will be deeply missed, but his stories, his laughter, and his legendary spirit will live on in everyone who had the privilege of knowing him. Please take a moment to remember Tom next time you enjoy a Guinness, an old fashioned, a glass of red wine, a round of golf, or a perfectly cooked prime rib
A drop in celebration of Tom’s life will be held from 12 - 4pm on Saturday June 6th at our Langley Sammy J’s location. An RSVP will be sent out closer to the date. Family & friends are all invited to pop in and join us to share stories, raise a glass, and celebrate the life of a man who truly knew how to live. We will always love you dad.