Long-time Councillor Tom Egan dies at 64

July 27, 2017 · 0 Comments

By Michelle Janzen

One of Shelburne’s long-serving Council members, Councillor Tom Egan passed away surrounded by his family Saturday, July 22, at the age of 64.

Subsequently the flags at town hall were lowered to half-mast.

Tom Egan was first elected to the Town of Shelburne Council in 1998 and has always been re-elected with strong support from residents.

He was an employee of Canadian Tire Acceptance for 24 years, and then for 17 years, an employee of the Ontario Lottery and Gaming Commission (OLG).

Councillor Egan served on the Shelburne Fire Department board since 2002 and was Chair of the Board from 2012 until present.

“Tom contributed a lot, prior to and during, the most recent expansion of the Fire Station,” says Town of Shelburne CAO John Telfer.

“We sat on the Canada Day Committee together for 15 years, and he was always a behind-the-scenes kind of guy,” Telfer tells us in a recent interview. “He had a good logistic sense of what was right and wrong and didn’t think residents needed to be burdened with tons of by-laws. When a new one was introduced it had better have facts backing up why it was needed, or you know Tom would have questions, always wanting to keep the small-town charm of Shelburne. Our prayers go out to the family.”

Mayor Ken Bennington posted to social media shortly after the family posted of Tom’s passing, “Tom Egan was a Councillor for the Town of Shelburne of some twenty years. He was a valued colleague, a trusted advisor and my friend. His clever wit and calming influence added much needed spice to Town Council meetings.”

“I personally valued Tom’s opinions and I held tremendous respect for him,” Mayor Bennington continued. “I will miss his voice of reason on Monday nights. I offer my sincere condolences to Carol and her family. Council meeting just won’t be the same without him.”

As a devoted member of Kinsmen Club of Shelburne for over twenty years, fellow Kinsmen and Town Councillor Dan Sample had this to say about Egan: “Tom’s inspiration and devotion to the Shelburne club was tremendous and will be missed. The Kinsmen Club devotes time and money for projects for the community and Tom was always an integral part of those events.

“He spent countless hours helping organize events and projects such as Canada Day, CF Tollgate and Fiddle Park. Tom was always there to lend a helping hand to make sure everything was running smoothly, whether it was helping out with a project or hosting a meeting in his home. Tom made life-long friends both within the Shelburne Club as well as other Clubs in the area, and he will be sadly missed by all his fellow Kin.”

From the Shelburne Free Press, we send our condolences to Tom’s family and thank them for giving of their time so their husband/father/grandfather could help to make Shelburne the wonderful place it is to live in.

A Celebration of Councillor Tom Egan’s life will be held on Thursday July 27, at the Shelburne Legion, 203 William Street from 12:00 noon to 5:00 pm.