If you’ve lived in Whistler for any length of time, you probably knew Michael Thompson by sight even if you didn’t know his name.
He was tall and silver-haired with thick glasses, but what set him apart was the massive pair of binoculars strung around his neck as he scanned the trees and shorelines around Whistler for birds.
He was very much a mechanical engineer in everything he did, fastidious and organized. As a young man he started out operating plants for the Saskatchewan Wheat Pool, working his way from town-to-town until he landed in the position of CEO for Prince Rupert Grain. He retired early and moved to Whistler with his family, immersing himself in the community.
He was a man who both knew things and did things, quietly and humbly, whether it was watching birds or working in his wood shop.
Thompson passed away on March 12 in West Vancouver, where he was in a long-term care facility battling illness for over a year. His wife Shirley was at his side.
On Sunday April 22 a celebration of his long and much-loved life will take place at the Station Room at the Nita Lake Lodge at 2 p.m.
With files form Andrew Mitchell.
