Obituary of Thomas William MULHOLLAND

November 27, 1940 – Kirkland Lake, Ontario February 8, 2018 – Calgary, Alberta Thomas William Mulholland passed away peacefully at his home, Bethany Care Center, in Calgary, AB on Thursday, February 8, 2018 at the age of 77 years. Tom was born November 27, 1940 in the mining community of Kirkland Lake, ON and lived there until the age of 17 when he was encouraged by a fellow miner to go west to pursue opportunities in Alberta. Tom joined the military and served proudly with the Royal Canadian Corps of Signals from 1957 to 1969. It was during his posting in Calgary that he met his wife, Judy. While in the military, he became a radio operator and telecommunications expert. Tom was the proud recipient of the United Nations Congo Medal in recognition of his service in the peacekeeping mission. Tom left the military to provide telecommunications expertise to various oil and gas companies operating in the Northwest Territories. His company, Polar Communications, was bought by Imperial Oil Limited in 1977 where he remained until his retirement in 1991. His expertise in communications allowed him to honour his adventurous spirit and in addition to the North, he worked as a consultant on projects in Kazakhstan, Russia and Yemen. His proudest accomplishment in his field was contributing to the success of the 1988 Winter Olympic Games by serving as a volunteer Telecom Chairman of the Radio Systems Committee which provided radio communications in support of the games. Tom was a lifelong learner who pursued many interests and hobbies during his lifetime including languages, computer programming, cycling and cars. His greatest pleasure was music and his favourite artists varied from Donna Summer to Ozzy Osbourne. His love of life could be seen in everything he did and he embraced life to the fullest. His generous spirit, quick wit and wonderful sense of humour will always be cherished by those who knew him. He is survived by his loving wife of 56 years, Judith (nee Lang). He will be fondly remembered by his caregiver Rolita and his family at Bethany Care Center as well as by his children; Carrie, Robert (Nikki) and their son Thomas, Lynda (Ken Phillips) and their children Eva, Gwynne and Grant, Mary-Lee (John Biles) and their children Adelaide and Baxter, Kim (Mike Field) and their children, Benjamin and Graham; as well as by his sister Karen and brother Bill. Tom’s proudest legacies are his children and grandchildren. A memorial and prairie potluck will be held for Tom at the Rosscarrock Community Hall (4411-10th Avenue, SW Calgary) on Saturday, February 24 at 4:00 p.m. If friends so desire, memorial tributes may be made directly to the Bethany Care Foundation, https://bethany7754.thankyou4caring.org/donate. Please specify Level 8 MDE Unit West Hillhurst in the comments section, or to the Cognitive Neurosciences Program in support of Alzheimer’s research, https://netcommunity.ucalgary.ca/cognitiveneurosciencesprogram. In living memory of Thomas Mulholland, a tree will be planted at Fish Creek Provincial Park by McINNIS & HOLLOWAY FUNERAL HOMES, Park Memorial, 5008 ELBOW DRIVE S.W. Calgary, AB, T2S 2L5, Telephone: 403-243-8200.