Tom passed away Tuesday March 28, 2018. He is survived by his wife Barbara, his daughter Tyler, son in law Matthew Lynch, grandchildren Esmay and Theodora Lynch, his brother Ab Hague, sister in law Wendy Hague, nephews Jesse and Adam Hague (Sarah, Owen and Oliver) as well as his brother John Hague.

 

Tom grew up in Winnipeg. The Hague family was very fortunate to spend wonderful summers boating, waterskiing and partying at their cottage at Brereton Lake in the Whiteshell. At Easter break, the family took car trips to the southern US and Mexico. Tom’s lifelong long love for adventure travel was born from those trips.

 

After completing his Arts degree at the University of Manitoba, Tom enrolled in Law and received his call to the Bar in 1974. Before beginning his practice of law he and Barbara decided to take a year to travel. They spent an amazing year travelling throughout Australia and New Zealand, living in their little tent and getting about in a 15 year old Morris Minor.

 

 With that itch out of his system, Tom and Barbara returned to Winnipeg in 1975. Tom started his law practice in Morris Manitoba with the law firm of Braun and Schmidt. By 1976, Tom had a baby daughter, Tyler Kate and the daily travel to Morris became difficult. He switched his focus and joined the Civil Legal Department with the Government of Manitoba Department of Justice. He soon became the Director of the department, a job he held until he retired. He had wonderful colleagues in Manitoba Justice and really enjoyed his work.

 

Tom was a man of many interests and adventure travel was a big one. He spent hours learning about new countries and planning fabulous family trips to Europe and Asia. Several months after the Tiananmen Square uprising in China, Tom and Tyler had a special father/daughter experience, spending 3 weeks travelling around the country with a bus of school teachers. They lived the history as it was happening. A few years later, Tom was selected to represent Manitoba on a special course with the Canadian Military. The family moved to Kingston Ontario for a year while Tom studied and travelled with senior military officers, government officials and business executives around the world. By 2013 when he made his last big trip, he has visited a total of 57 countries throughout his lifetime.

 

Keeping fit was important to Tom and it was a rare day he didn’t walk, run or bike to work or workout with his friends. Over his lifetime, he played squash, curled, ran marathons, rowed at the Winnipeg Rowing Club and later found a love for yoga.

 

Tom’s generosity and kindness, sense of humour, and professional skills made him a popular board member for many community organizations. For many years, he chaired the Meals on Wheels Board in Winnipeg and volunteered his time with the Alliance Francaise, Canadians Helping Kids in Vietnam and the Manitoba Printmakers.

 

In 2008, Tom was diagnosed with dementia. Throughout this terrible journey, he maintained his dignity and graciousness. He was helped through this difficult experience by his wife and best friend Barb, his brother Ab, his friends, his care workers, Olga and Cheryl and lastly the wonderful staff at Pembina Place Personal Care Home. A special thank you to Anne Thiessen who helped him every day. 

 

A joy in his later life was interacting with his beloved granddaughters Esmay and Theodora. Esmay often remarked that her grandfather was “always laughing”. 

 

A celebration of Tom’s life will be held on from 2:00 to 4:00 p.m. Friday, April 13, 2018 at 603 Wellington Crescent at Academy Road (Unitarian Church).

 

In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made to the Recreation Program, Pembina Place through the Bethania Mennonite Memorial Foundation.