ALVIN GORDON THOMPSON

The family of Alvie Thompson sadly announce his passing in Sechelt Hospital on October 26, 2017. Alvie has moved on to a new golf course to reunite with his buddy Bill. Alvie will be deeply missed by everyone who knew him. He is survived by Donna, his wife and best friend of 42 years, his children, Karolle, Diana, and Michael (Ceridwen), his step-children, Mark (Michelle), Jill (Franco), and Joni, his brother Keith (Monique), sister-in-law Joan, fourteen grandchildren, five great-grandchildren, and many nieces and nephews. Alvie is predeceased by his sister, Hazel Wood. Alvie was born in Unity, SK, and he grew up in Vancouver, BC. At fifteen, he began golfing at Marine Drive Golf Club and became a Golf Professional in 1957 (after working as a draftsman for an Architectural firm). He worked as an assistant at Marine Drive Golf Club before moving to clubs in Toronto and Montreal for 12 years. While in Toronto in the 1960s, he spent the winters in Florida where he qualified for the U.S. tour, played many events, and also joined the Caribbean Tour. Alvie won innumerable tournaments back East including the 1962 Canadian P.G.A. Championship which paved the way to his competing in the 1963 Masters where he finished 28th. He moved to Montreal in 1970 where he became the Head Professional for two years at Hillsdale C.C. and then back to Marine Drive as the Head Professional in 1972. In 1976, Alvie became the Head Professional at McCleery Golf Course until he retired 18 years later. During his retirement years, Alvie became an accomplished photographer. Alvie and Donna made memories with outdoor activities such as fly fishing, camping, hiking, and canoeing. They hiked the West Coast Trail in 1975 with their two sons and canoed the Bowron Lakes with good friends, Bill and Lil Wright. Many winters were spent camping and fishing in the Baja (where they met and formed a life-long friendship with Michael Kunde of California) and then in Borrego Springs (again with Bill and Lil). Following Alvie’s retirement in 1994, he and Donna moved to the Sunshine Coast where he designed and helped build their lovely home by the ocean. In retirement, he fed his love of drawing and painting, becoming a wonderful artist, but he kept coming back to the game he loved. He played numerous rounds of golf with his good friends Bill Cooksley and Barrie Reeves. In the past few years, Alvie received many awards – a Lifetime Membership in the Sunshine Coast Golf Club, A Lifetime Achievement Award from the P.G.A. of BC and he was inducted into the BC Golf Hall of Fame and the P.G.A. of Canada Hall of Fame. A special thank you to Dr. Ron Mundy, Alvie’s Doctor, for over 20 years. Many thanks to the nursing staff at Sechelt Hospital for their loving care in the last weeks of his life. Thank you to our neighbours, Bruce Mitchell and Ed Schurman, for all the help they willingly offered. Also, a special, special thank you to Alvie’s good friend, Barrie Reeves, for his never-ending love and support during the past few years. A Celebration of Life will be held at the Sunshine Coast Golf & Country Club on Tuesday, November 21, 2017 from 1:00pm to 3:30pm. In lieu of flowers, donations to the Parkinson’s Society of BC would be appreciated.