Donald Grant Thompson
March 14, 1939 - August 5, 2025
On Thursday, August 5, 2025 at 7:54 in the morning, Donald Grant Thompson began his final adventure as he left his earthly existence.
Born on March 14, 1939 at his Thompson grandparents home on NE23-27-21W3, north west of Eston, Grant blew into this world in the middle of one of the worst snowstorms of that year .
When he was three years old the family moved to SW26-27-21W3, land purchased from the Hudson Bay Company. Grant often recalled a trip to Winnipeg when his father went to the Company offices to pay off the land. In 1948, a new three-bedroom house was built which became the Thompson family home and Grant’s home for the next 66 years.
Grant attended Newburg School to Grade eight then, as this was before the advent of bussing in the area, attended “the Dorm” in Kindersley, the source of many adventures, long tales and lasting friendships. Travel to Kindersley was often by train on a Sunday evening, boarding at Eston with stops at Madison and Glidden. His sister, Meda, lived the adventure with him.
Grant briefly attended the University of Saskatchewan College of Agriculture before branching out into the world, working with an oilfield supply company in eastern Saskatchewan and Alberta.
Another great adventure awaited in 1963 when he, along with several other farm boys from the area, worked for General Motors in Oshawa, Ontario, another source of delightful stories.
Grant began farming in 1967 when he purchased three quarters of a section on 18-17-20W3 known locally as “the Whaley place”. For the next few years he held a number of winter jobs including working in the men’s department at the Robert Simpson store in downtown Toronto and driving taxi in Saskatoon. In 1975-76 he travelled the prairies as one of the three enquiry officers for the Hall Commission on Grain Handling and Transportation.
On April 10, 1976 Grant married Verna Diane Murray in Thunder Bay, Ontario thus beginning another life adventure. In 1987, they purchased The Eston Press and The Elrose Review, later joining the two papers as the Eston Press Review. Grant ran the administrative side of the paper and doubled as the sports and general reporter, a role he delighted in. In his mementoes are media passes from the 1998 Team Canada vs Belarus game, two University Cups and the 1987 Royal Visit to Kindersley. Ownership of the paper led to an active role with the Saskatchewan Weekly Newspapers Association and travel across Canada and from one end of Saskatchewan to the other.
Grant loved farming; he loved his community and was active in it. Like his father and grandfather, Grant was a councillor for the R.M. of Snipe Lake. He later also worked for the R.M. and, again following in his father’s footsteps, became first the R.M.’s weed inspector and then its pest control officer. As councillor, he served on the local Recreation Board and the Eston Union Hospital Board and was a member of the committee overseeing the construction of the Eston Clinic, now the Town Office.
He was chairman of the Big Country Anglican Parish and for several years represented Holy Cross Eston at the provincial Anglican synod.
A man with strong political beliefs, he was chairman of the local Liberal association and enjoyed attending several national conventions.
Grant is survived by Verna, his wife of 49 years, two daughters, Bronwen of Edmonton and Jennifer of Regina, his sister Meda Nesselbeck of Edmonton and her four children, Diane (Paul) Bothwell, Mark (Melanie) , Brian (Ver) and Kim (Praveen) Jain as well as several grandnieces and nephews, cousins and friends.
He was predeceased by his parents, Donald Arthur and Helen Thompson, his sister Beth Brailean, and his in-laws Charles and Doreen Murray of Thunder Bay, Ontario.
In his last years as his health deteriorated, Grant was comforted by the presence of his beloved cats. Rosie and Blackie are accompanying him on this last adventure; Neighbour and Skeezik carry on their own adventures in the Eston home that Grant lived in for the last 10 years of his life.
Interment is in his chosen spot near the trees in the Eston cemetery following a service at St. Andrews United Church on Friday, August 12 with Pastor Doreen Hewitson leading the service. Arrangements have been entrusted to the Shanidar Funeral Services, Rosetown.