MacCoubrey Funeral Home
30 King St. E., Cobourg
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Tom McIelwain, age 70, of Cobourg, ON, passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, May 26, 2026.
Tom will be deeply missed by his beloved wife of 49 years, Connie McIelwain (nee Pillon), as well as his children Glenn, Emily and her husband Tim Casey, and Liz and her partner Clayton Rutherford. He’ll be missed by his two lovely granddaughters Rosie and Lucy Casey, and his honorary son, Jon Spence.
Tom was loved dearly by his sister Pat Malott and her late husband Mike, his sister Mary Tulett and her husband David, and his sister-in-law Debbie and her husband Ken.
He is predeceased by his father William Rachar “Ray” McIelwain (Connie), and his mother Ann McKenzie (Wallace).
Tom enjoyed a life filled with so much love thanks to his extended family, friends, colleagues, and his dog Clementine.
Tom was born and raised in Windsor, ON, graduated from the University of Windsor with a Bachelor’s degree in Applied Science, and went on to become a Professional Geoscientist and Engineer. He spent 41 years of his career working alongside colleagues and friends as a consultant and industry leader in the environmental due diligence field at Golder Associates Ltd.
Tom shared his wealth of knowledge as an adjunct professor for the Masters of Environmental Science program at the University of Toronto.
When Tom moved to Cobourg with his family in 1994, he became a valued member of the community as a youth softball coach, the convenor of the Lakeshore Minor Basketball Association, and the designated statistician at every high school game. In 2008, he was awarded the Town of Cobourg Sportsmanship Award for outstanding leadership in contribution to the Cobourg sports and recreational community. Tom was a loyal Toronto Blue Jays and Raptors fan and a life-long supporter of all Detroit sports teams.
He was an avid collector who amassed an impressive catalogue of vinyl records spanning all genres, as well as a remarkable collection of minerals from all over the world – some of which he mined himself.
Tom was generosity and resilience personified.
Our family would like to extend our sincere gratitude to the many doctors, nurses and paramedics of our community. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Northumberland Hills Hospital Foundation, the Canadian Diabetes Association, or the charity of your choice.
A celebration of life will be held on Friday, June 5, 2026 from 1:00 - 4:00pm at MacCoubrey’s Funeral Home located at 30 King St E, Cobourg, ON. All are welcome.
I'm am so sorry to hear of the passing of Tom. My deepest condolences to his family and friends. He will be deeply missed by his work colleagues and will be remembered for his kindness, dedication and words of wisdom. Amanda Park
Dear Connie and family. Your characterization of Tom as "generosity and resilience personified" perfectly summarizes in a few words the life of a man who has made an oversized impact on his many colleagues, peers, clients, and students, in addition to his family. His generosity and resilience, along with his perceptive nature and keen intelligence, was a throughline to everything I know about Tom as a colleague, a mentor and a friend.
My sincere condolences to the family. I worked with Tom and enjoyed our numerous chats on work and so much more. He was greatly appreciated by so many and will be deeply missed.
A Memorial Donation has been made to the following charity:
Diabetes Canada
My sincerest condolences to your family on this great loss. I worked with Tom at Golder and considered him a leader in our industry and a mentor. He always made time to answer questions and was always so kind. He will be greatly missed by so many.
What do you do when you meet a Giant? If you are fortunate, you learn from him. If you didn't learn, well, you just weren't listening. Tom was my Mentor at work and in life. He would look up from the complicated spreadsheet infront of him and with few words spoken, you'd be out the door of his office well on your way to success. Tom was the best listener and communicator that I have ever known. His talents were many. The line-up to "just ask Tom a question" was long. Tom spoke proudly of his family not of his accomplishments. Thinking of you and wishing you all peace.
My sincere condolences to Tom's family. I had the great pleasure of working with Tom in the Whitby office of Golder Associates. He was a great mentor and through our conversations I learned so much from Tom. Rest in peace Tom, you will be missed.
I am so very saddened to learn of Tom passing. He was a true gentleman and interesting man. To Connie and the entire McIelwain family, please accept my sincere condolences for your loss.
Please accept my sincere condolences on Tom’s passing. I first met Tom as a professor at the University of Toronto, where I came to deeply appreciate not only his professionalism and expertise in environmental due diligence, but also his generosity in sharing his knowledge with others. I am forever grateful to Tom.
Our deepest condolences to you Liz and all the family. ❤️
Connie,Glen and Family I’m so sorry to hear of Toms passing, he was the best baseball coach back in the day,the kids loved him. Thinking of you all at this sad time may he rest in peace.🙏🥲
Tom was a lovely family man to Connie, their children, and grandchildren. My condolences to all.
Connie and Family, my sincere condolences. Like many, I had the privilege of working with Tom. It was truly an honour and privilege to work alongside side him. He is a legend and the world has lost one of its great leaders. Thank you Tom for everything you did!
Dearest Connie and Family. Sending our sincere condolences. God Bless.
I am very sorry to hear this sad news. Tom was wonderful to work with.
Liz and Glen. My sincere condolences.
My condolences to my sister-in-law and her family. Tom was my sister-in-law Emily’s dad. Tom was a good man. He will be missed dearly. Love Meghan
So sorry to hear of Tom’s passing. I worked closely with him for decades. He was a mentor, role model and longtime friend. One of a very small handful of advisors who could demystify and contextualize densely complicated concepts for lay people, all without a hint of arrogance. He was genuinely exceptional at his calling but he was so much more. He was as hard working and tough-willed as anyone I have known, shouldering major health challenges for most of his life like they were mild distractions. He had a wicked sense of humour, and he rolled it out whenever he could, just to light the place up. Perhaps most endearing, he was a fantastically loyal colleague and friend. He will be deeply missed.
Words are not enough to express the loss we have suffered with Tom's passing. We have lost a great person, a wise advisor, a wonderful husband, father and grandfather, and a true friend. Feels like the loss of a rudder needed to steer the ship. Difficult to fathom not being able to pick up the phone and kibbitz back and forth with Tom, who always made you smile and laugh. You were always smarter and happier after speaking with Tom. So many great memories over so many years across North America. Tom, an absolute giant in his field, was the first hydrogeologist I worked with, and he taught me with great patience and humility. We all have the blessing of having known Tom, which was a gift for which we are grateful and thankful. His life was filled with meaning, and his legacy is massive. I will continue to think of Tom often, with great admiration, affection and gratitude. A life well lived, Tom, thanks for being a friend, mentor, colleague and terrific person.
My sincere condolences. I worked with Tom over the years and he was always a trusted advisor. Again, I’m very sorry for your loss.