Thomas McCavour passed away peacefully on July 5, a day before his 92nd birthday. When he was in his teens, Tom met the love of his life, Shirley Hedch. They were married for 71 years, and theirs was indeed an inspirational love story.
Tom was a renaissance man. He was an excellent writer, but since his family did not consider journalism a real career, he chose to become an engineer, graduating from Queen's University in 1952. He spent close to a decade in Guelph, Ontario, with Armco Steel, before starting his own business in the Toronto area. He ran McCavour Engineering and associated companies for more than 35 years, receiving awards for his volunteer work on engineering committees. Tom was also involved in many community organizations in Guelph, Toronto, and Collingwood, including the Boy Scouts of Canada, Metropolitan Toronto School for the Deaf, and Collingwood Gateway Probus Club.
After retiring, he and Shirley travelled to every continent of the world except Antarctica. In his seventies, Tom took online courses to become a master gardener and turned their Collingwood home into an oasis. When Tom entered his 80s, gardening became more difficult as Charcot Marie Tooth (CMT) disease caused a decline in his mobility. He then became an author, writing 17 books in 12 years.
