Thomas Patrick Firth

The Firth/Small/Huston/Horsnell/Locke families are saddened to announce the death of our brother/uncle/friend, Tom, on August 11, 2024.

Born and raised in Dawson City, Tom was one of the 17 Yukoners who started Yukon Foundation in 1980.

He was a hunter who rode packhorses into the remote valleys and across the peaks of the Yukon mountain ranges, shared a campfire with Stephen Frost at his Blue Fish cabin, and swapped stories with Alex Van Bibber. He, Doug Phillips, and Dennis Wolsky guided the first legal Elk hunt in the Yukon in 1984.

As a member of the Yukon Fish and Game Association, he was instrumental in the reestablishing of the goat and sheep populations in the White Mountain/Little Atlin Lake region.

Farming was a passion. He spent almost 20 years cultivating the land on his farm on the Mayo Road and assisting government agricultural departments in determining what could and could not be grown successfully in the Yukon. He brought the first self-propelled combine into the Yukon in 1992.

And for over 50 years he was co-owner of T.A. Firth Insurance.

He loved flying, exploring much of the Yukon and Canadian Arctic by float plane. His flying license was a major source of pride for him.

A lifelong love of motorcycles resulted in him checking off one of his big “bucket list” items by spending three months on a BMW motorbike circumnavigating the continent of Australia in 2014.

And he enjoyed spending time with his many friends from Alaska and the Yukon.

He was predeceased by his parents, Howard and Nancy Firth, his wife, Bea, and sisters Catherine Small and Sheila Firth.

He will be sadly missed by his friend Mae-Claire Locke and her two sons (Hamish and Ramsey), sister Nancy Huston (David), brothers Howard (Colleen) and John (Dawn Dimond), and numerous nieces and nephews.

A funeral will be held at Sacred Heart Cathedral at 1:30 on the afternoon of Wednesday, Sept. 4, followed by interment.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Yukon Foundation (the Firth Family fund or the Bea Firth Fund)