Memorable Manitobans: Thomas Sill (1905-1986)

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Thomas Sill
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Accountant, philanthropist.

Born at Winnipeg on 15 November 1905, son of Joseph Sill (1883-1918) and Edith Sharpe (1880-1958), he attended St. John's High School then articled with the accounting firm of Hubert Reade and Company, receiving designation as a chartered accountant in 1927. He became a partner in the firm and the name changed to Reade, Sill and Company. Upon the death of Hubert Reade in 1945, it became T. Sill and Company and, by 1948, was Sill, Patrick, and Company. Subsequently, he established the firm known as Sill, Streuber, Fiske and Company with offices at Winnipeg, Selkirk, Morden, Winkler, and Altona.

Colleagues, friends and family knew him to be a keen curler and shrewd stock market investor. He was a member of Rotary Club, Masons (Northern Light Lodge), and Khartum Shrine. A quiet, life-long bachelor, he made donations to many charitable organizations with which he worked, usually without fanfare or public recognition.

He died at his Winnipeg home on 18 November 1986 and was buried in the Elmwood Cemetery. His executors were instructed to create an entity to carry on his philanthropic legacy. The Thomas Sill Foundation has since become one of Manitoba’s largest private charitable foundations.

Sources:

Birth and marriage registrations, Manitoba Vital Statistics.

Obituary, Winnipeg Free Press, 20 November 1986, page 65.

Obituaries and burial transcriptions, Manitoba Genealogical Society.

We thank the Thomas Sill Foundation for providing information used here.

This page was prepared by Gordon Goldsborough.

Page revised: 18 November 2022

Memorable Manitobans

Memorable Manitobans

This is a collection of noteworthy Manitobans from the past, compiled by the Manitoba Historical Society. We acknowledge that the collection contains both reputable and disreputable people. All are worth remembering as a lesson to future generations.

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