Thomas McCue was born in Glasgow, Scotland in 1919, and passed away in Didsbury in 2014. He immigrated to Canada with his parents, John and Annie McCue to live in Drumheller, AB., where he grew up with his siblings Margaret, George and Jack. After meeting his wife Betty (nee Howell) in England during WWII, they started their life together in Canada in Drumheller. They also lived for many years in Calgary and retired to Didsbury in 1982. Tom worked for CN Rail for years, also at the Currie Barracks and had many other small jobs. Tom and Betty had 10 children, 15 grandchildren and 16 great grandchildren.
A 30 minute video documentary entitled, Days of Our Lives, has been made about Tom McCue and it can be seen at www.SalvationStudioHouse.com. Although Tom was a Sergeant, he didn’t like talking much about his army days, but many small nuggets of information would come out after a visit with him. He remembers specifically him and his comrades sharing their food rations with women and children when stationed in Holland. He suffered ear damage as a result of the noise of the artillery and also lost the sight in one eye due to shrapnel.
Tom challenged himself with a daily exercise program that kept him fit and healthy. He did standing push ups off the kitchen counter every day into his nineties. He enjoyed his daily walks with his loyal furry companion, Lizzie. Tom was an avid reader, loved tinkering with electronics and also had a passion for pigeons. He was part of the Calgary Racing Pigeon Club and it gave him great pride to share his passion with family and friends. His pigeon coop in Didsbury was always full. Visitors would often be asked to take a box of pigeons with them for release at their home destinations so that he could time their flight back to him.
Tom and Betty both loved the beautiful melodies created by their many pet canaries, enjoyed their vegetable and flower gardens and were always feeding the birds in their yard. Tom loved the sound of the train thundering over the tracks through Didsbury, to him it showed signs of prosperity. He had an easy laugh and joking ways. He touched the lives of all who knew him with his gentle heart, always the polite and consummate gentleman and was a loyal friend with a generous heart.
