Paul Francis THOMPSON

Paul Thompson packed a lot of adventure into his 92 years

He skied the mountains of New Zealand back when skiers had to hike their gear up the mountain. He flew small airplanes as a teenager, helped crew a sailboat across the Pacific from Hawaii to Vancouver, and ran the 40-kilometre route of the original 490 BC run from Marathon to Athens. In January 1979, he was one of hundreds of Canadians evacuated out of Iran by Canadian military aircraft as revolutionaries battled to overthrow the Shah.

Paul died Friday, Sept. 12, surrounded by people he loved, at his home on Gabriola, several months after being diagnosed with leukemia.

He was born in Invercargill, New Zealand, on Feb. 2, 1933, the first child of Gerald and Mary. His sisters Joan and Patricia were born a few years later.

Gerald's job as a bank manager required a move every few years, so the family grew up in various communities in southern New Zealand before Paul left for boarding school at St. Kevin's in Oamaru. He went on to complete a BA and MA at the University of Otago in Dunedin.

His sharp intellect, lively curiosity and love of adventure opened up opportunities to savour life to its fullest. Paul was an early adopter of the internet, and used computers to create art, edit photos and compose music.

A keen athlete, he learned to fly as a teen, and enjoyed track and field, long-distance running, skiing, hiking and moutain climbing.

After graduating from university, Paul worked as a journalist for several years, covering the New Zealand Parliament in Wellington and interviewing Everest pioneer Sir Edmund Hillary.

In 1957, the world really opened up for Paul when he was awarded a scholarship to study Italian language and culture in Perugia, Italy.

In Perugia, he fell in love with a young Swiss woman, Roselyne Huot. She spoke no English and he spoke no French, so the two courted in Italian.

They moved to Canada in 1958, believing it was a country that would welcome them in both official languages. Their first home was in North Bay, Ontario, where Paul worked on the daily North Bay Nugget newspaper. He was soon offered a job in public relations and the couple moved to Toronto. Three children followed: Chris in 1960, Monique in 1961 and Catherine in 1962, before the couple divorced in 1970.

A teaching job at Simon Fraser University brought Paul to British Columbia in 1972.

While living on Indian Arm, below Mount Seymour, he built and sailed a  46-foot Wharram catamaran he named Aotea, in honour of the Maori name for New Zealand.

He met Beverley Udy, the love of his life, in Vancouver in 1977. A year later, they moved to Iran after Paul was hired as the principal of a school for the children of Canadian workers building a pulp and paper plant on the Caspian Sea. The Iranian revolution in 1979 forced them to flee the country in a Canadian military evacuation.

Their return to Canada, having left all their belongings in Iran, was difficult. Paul and Bev  began making wind chimes at their rented home on Sumas Mountain just outside Abbotsford. Zen Chimes grew to a flourishing 15-year business, selling at craft fairs and supplying gift shops from B.C. to Quebec City.

In 1991, Paul and Bev moved to Gabriola. Their home quickly became a delightful haven for friends and family to visit and enjoy Bev's excellent cooking, her exquisite garden, and lively discussions about books, ideas and public affairs, often held under Paul's beloved yew tree.

Paul leaves his wife Beverley, his three children, and three grandchildren.

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