Born in Leith, Scotland, on November 26, 1923, Minnie Jane Berry Thom (née Murphy) passed away on Salt Spring Island on January 30, 2023, at the age of 99. Minnie will be forever loved and remembered by her sister Janet Reynolds; daughter Lesley Reynolds (Victor); son Andrew (Debbie Nowell); granddaughter Camille Underwood (Leon); sister-in-law Moira Thom and her nieces and nephews. Minnie was predeceased by her husband Ian in 2013 and brother Peter in 1944.
Minnie spent her early years in Leith and Edinburgh. Among her most cherished memories of her youth were excursions with her friends, especially a hiking holiday on the Isle of Skye. During the Second World War, she worked in a laboratory testing metals for wartime manufacturing.
While studying at Heriot-Watt College in Edinburgh after the war she met Ian Thom, a young medical student. Ian always loved talking about the first time he saw her, running down the steps at the college with a radiant smile on her face. He immediately knew that she was the girl for him. They married in 1952 and were inseparable for the next 60 years. Minnie and Ian lived in Birmingham and Watford, England, before moving with their young family to Regina, Saskatchewan, in 1962. They spent 27 years in Regina, where Minnie cared for her home and family and Ian was a respected family doctor. They retired to Salt Spring Island in 1989, building their dream home and making many dear friends.
After Ian passed away, Minnie spent several enjoyable years at Heritage Place. Well into her nineties she loved to walk down the hill from Heritage Place to the Country Grocer café and enjoy a friendly visit with those she encountered there. She moved into Greenwoods in 2019.
Minnie loved her family and friends with all her heart. She was the consummate homemaker and caregiver, an excellent cook and a talented seamstress. She always had a smile on her face and a song on her lips. She loved reading, travelling with Ian, working in her garden, shopping for bargains with her best friend, and a good cup of tea. Her sunny, kind nature endeared her to all who met her, and she was always ready to see the best in people and embrace the positive side of life.
Minnie’s family are grateful to all who brought joy to her life over the last few years, notably her dear friend Nirmal Dryden, Sandi and the staff at Heritage Place, and the amazing, compassionate staff at Greenwoods, who cared for her with love, respect and understanding. We also thank Dr. Ron Reznick for caring for her for over 30 years.
A celebration of Minnie’s life will be held at 181 Fort Street, Salt Spring Island, on February 25 at 2 p.m. Friends are invited to join her family to share their favourite memories of Minnie over a cup of tea or a glass of her favourite sherry. Should you wish to make a memorial donation in honour of Minnie, please consider the Greenwoods Foundation.
An absolutely gentle sweetheart of a lady whose life was full and well lived. Always a delight whenever our paths crossed. Her wonderful smile will be missed. My thoughts and condolences go out to Lesley and family. Rick Alexander
As neighbours of Ian and Min, we moved into 195 Head Street, on Salt Spring Island. When we said we were renovating our home, they both insisted we dwell for a week in their guest apartment. Min commented that the dust and commotion made by tradesmen would be dreadful And Ian insisted we be protected from the inevitable dried excrement of deer mice, which could pose exposure to the Hanta Virus. Frank and I were reluctant to impose on them but they kindly and persistently urged us to accept their offer. Min and Ian were both lifelong learners. Canada and Canadians benefitted enormously from their decision to emigrate from the UK to Saskatchewan and later, to SSI.