Born October 12, 1908, in Mather, Manitoba and passed away on July 5, 1982, in Winnipeg.
Played sports until age twenty-one until he had to have one of his legs partially amputated.
Moved to Steinbach in 1946 and advocated for organized youth sport in a community that was not convinced organized sport was good for their youth.
In Steinbach, he organized the construction of a hockey rink, now known as the T.G. Smith Arena.
In the mid 1950’s, Thomas organized little league baseball and in 1955 the league had three teams. By 1966, the league had double the number of teams and was continuing to grow.
Thomas coached, organized fundraisers, drove to tournaments and out of town games, and constantly reinforced the values of sportsmanship.
By 1968, when he retired from baseball, Steinbach’s little league program was thriving and some of his former players were members of successful teams within Manitoba.
The reputation and legacy that Thomas left in Steinbach continues to this day and is evident within the community.
