Obituary of Tom Keeping

Thomas Homer Keeping (Tom) was born in April, 1942 to Ken and Agnes Keeping in the town of Nipawin, SK. He was raised on a family farm near Garrick, SK along with his elder sisters Betty and Elaine, his twin brother Terry and younger brother John. Like many prairie kids, he grew up working on the family farm and playing sports such as hockey, baseball, football and curling. Tom spent much of his life as a farmer in Saskatchewan. He could ride and rope and worked cattle on horseback. He also farmed land growing crops. In winters, he cut timber or worked in sawmills and even had a stint working underground in a mine at Flin Flon, MB. Tom married Ruth Beckett and had two sons, David and Donald who grew up on the family farm. He enjoyed spending time with his boys fishing, riding motorcycles or playing catch. In the 1990’s, Tom sold his cattle herd and served as a member of the Legislative Assembly of Saskatchewan from 1991 to 1995. Following this he returned to farming but on a smaller scale. He would later serve as Reeve of the Rural Municipality of Torch River in which he farmed. As the world turned into a new millennium, Tom retired from farming. He met Mary Brosseau and soon joined her in Powell River, BC where he would live the remainder of his life enjoying the Sunshine Coast. He kept active by walking, doing yard work, playing softball and slipping back to Saskatchewan to visit his grandchildren or go on a hunting or fishing adventure with his boys. He loved to socialize and loved nothing better than to share a nice meal with friends and loved ones. Tom passed away peacefully on June 10th, 2020 at the Evergreen Care Home in Powell River and is survived by his beloved Mary; his sisters Betty (Rod) and Elaine; brothers Terry (Fay) and John (Lorraine); sons Dave (Kelly) and Don (Chriss); grandchildren Dawson, Persephone and Zane.