Ross THOMAS

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THOMAS: It is with great regret we announce the passing of Ross Thomas on December 17, 2011at the St. Boniface hospital in Winnipeg. He had dealt with numerous crippling strokes for many years and yet was always such a pleasant and positive person to be around. Ross was born to Chris and Lois Thomas in the family farm house east of Lauder on June 22, 1925 and was raised there with his three sisters Muriel, Kathleen and Beverley. He graduated from the U of M with a degree in Agriculture in 1949 and married the love of his life Anita (Atkinson) on January 22, 1949. Ross farmed along with his family until 1984. He was a very innovative farmer such as growing silage corn and canola in the sixties, bringing one of the first Vermeer round balers into Canada and using one of the first air seeders in the area yet his cattle were his main interest. Ross and his dad Chris raised polled Shorthorn cattle and in 1967 held the first Thomas Farms polled shorthorn production sale. In 1968 they teamed up with the Gordon Bros from Souris and the Draper Bros from Elgin. With this group the sale went on to be the top polled shorthorn production sale in North America. In 1970 Ross and Chris sold the herd to Ed Long the governor of Illinois but Ross found a new interest in “exotic” cattle and was soon a partner in Bar 5 Simmentals along with the Gordons, Drapers, the Mitchell’s from Douglas and Wilf Davis. They held their first production sale in 1974 and from there Bar 5 became a top Simmental herd in North America. This period of time was one of the most interesting for Ross as he met many people and he and Anita travelled to Europe, Australia, New Zealand and Mexico looking at cattle and seeing many interesting places. In 1978 Ross sold his cattle for the last time and became a grain farmer. Along with the family he started Thomas Farm Supplies. This lasted until 1984 when the Thomas land was disbanded and Ross having moved to Hartney started a new stage in his life. Not one to feel sorry for himself Ross started teaching drivers education and again met and had many enjoyable and sometimes scary experiences instructing young and older people of the area. During this time he spent a term as a town councilor. In 1990 Ross and Anita bought a home in Apache Junction, Arizona and spent ten wonderful winters there until his first stroke ended their time in the south. They sold their house and moved into the Hartcam lodge in 2001. After more strokes left him wheelchair bound Ross moved into the Hartney Personal Care home in 2010 where his good nature soon made him a favorite of the staff there. Ross was often called upon to participate on local school boards, church boards, the Manitoba Shorthorn executive, the Manitoba Cattle Growers Assoc, taught 4H, was a Free Mason and a Lauder Forrester. Ross leaves to mourn his wife of 62 years Anita, sisters Muriel, Kathleen and Bev, sons Eric and family, Chris and family, David and Peggy and family, daughter Cathy and Gerry Gaudet and family and numerous nieces and nephews. We will always have a void in our hearts as we miss his good nature, wit, wisdom and kindness.

As published in Brandon Sun on Jan 14, 2012