Thomas 'Tom' Muir

Suddenly on Tuesday, January 17, 2023, Thomas Allen Muir passed away at the Portage District General Hospital with family by his side.

Left to cherish his memory are his daughter Debra (Les) and his two grandchildren, Sarah and Michael Dolhun of Airdrie, AB. Tom was predeceased by his parents, Sarah and Allen Muir, and wife, Mary Muir.

Tom grew up on the farm outside of High Bluff, MB. He was the only child of Sarah and Allen. The family moved into Portage in 1953 so that Tom could attend Portage Collegiate Institute.  He then went on to attend the University of Manitoba and completed his Diploma in Agriculture in 1959. Tom had a variety of jobs after school, including as a forklift operator for Kimberly Clark.  He began his career with the Province of Manitoba in 1965, working as far north as Lynn Lake, MB.  For most of his career, he was a field supervisor for the assessment branch.  Tom retired from the province in January of 2001. Tom and Mary also owned Plains City Car Wash for many years.  Tom enjoyed many hours of puttering down at the car wash and chatting with his customers.  He would occasionally have a pump break down, which would lead him to bring it home and taking it apart to fix on Mary’s kitchen table.

Tom was always a farmer at heart. As a child, he would ride his temperamental pony to school, who was known to leave him behind at the end of the day if he was too slow getting out of the school.  Over the years, he still enjoyed being out on the farm, and still made trips to check the crops this past season.

Tom and Mary met through snowmobiling with Mary’s brother, Roy. They were married in 1969 in Clear Lake, MB. Tom and Mary built their home in Portage in 1972, the same year that Debra was born.  Over the years, Tom and Mary owned several snowmobiles, quads, dirt bikes and spent many weekends on the trails in Spruce Woods and all over Manitoba.  They enjoyed annual snowmobiling trips to Yellowstone, Montana, putting on thousands of miles over the years, and many family vacations all over Canada and the USA.  Tom and Mary enjoyed camping and participated in many organized camp outs with the Yellowquill Good Sam club.  In the later years, Tom and Mary would head south to spend time being snowbirds in Yuma.

Over the years, Tom gave back to his community.  He served with the Kiwanis Club, the Lions Club, the Lions Manor Board, the Portage Hospital Board, and most recently on the board for the Dufferin Villa.  Tom’s love of snowmobiling also led to him being one of the founding members on SnoMan (Snowmobilers of Manitoba), as well as participating in provincial conventions and international congresses and the Iron Dogs association.

Tom was always up for a good conversation, and he was a frequent member of the afternoon coffee crowd at McDonalds.  He could strike up a conversation with just about anyone.  Tom will be dearly missed. 

A celebration of Tom’s life will be held on May 13, 2023 from 2:00 – 4:00 pm at the Herman Prior Centre.

As expressions of sympathy, if friends so wish, donations may be made in Tom’s memory to Stars – Winnipeg Base, 155A West Hangar Road Winnipeg, MB R3J 3Z1, or the Portage Hospital Foundation, 524-5^th Street SE Portage La Prairie, MB R1N 3A8.

A tree will be planted in memory and cared for by McKenzies Portage Funeral Chapel.  www.mckenziesportagefuneralchapel.com