October 12, 1927 – March 4, 2021

Thomas Alfred Ardill was born on Oct. 12, 1927 at The Gates, just east of Hudson’s Hope, at Guy and Myrtle

Robinsons house. He was the youngest of 4 children of Jack and Betty Ardill. He grew up on the ranch with

his brothers John and Dick and sister Betty. The kids  were home schooled by their mother up to grade 6.

He did not attend school past that. Tom worked on the ranch as a cowboy and did a lot of tractor work.

He helped to break up a lot of the land that makes up Ardill’s Ranch today. In 1952 the ranch bought 2 D7

cats complete with a seismic job and became Ardill’s Ranch and Construction. Tom ran the construction

part of the operation. Ardill’s Construction grew and eventually moved to Ft St. John. Tom ran the

construction company until 1982, building roads, oil leases and seismic lines all over the north. In

1982, with the oil patch slowing down, he sold the company and went gold mining in the Yukon. After

a stint in mining in the Yukon Tom moved down to Carson City, Nevada where he had a radiator repair

shop. He enjoyed the sunny warmth of the southern climate. The ‘adventure bug’ caught up with Tom

once again and he moved down to Santa Elena, Venezuela to continue his love of mining. In the late

1990s Tom moved back into North America where he would spend his winters in Carson City, Nevada and

his summers in Osoyoos, BC. Tom was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s disease in 2015 and moved into

McKinney Place in Oliver for a few months and then into Mariposa Gardens in Osoyoos where he resided

for the remainder of his life. Tom had a wonderful sense of humor and loved to tease. He was a true

gentleman and quite the character. With a twinkle in his eye and a grin he enjoyed life, travelling, a good

adventure and meeting people. He was always up for a challenge and certainly was not afraid of hard work

or trying something new. He leaves to mourn his brother Dick, nieces and nephews and many friends.

A memorial service and private scattering service will be held later. Many thanks to Dr. J. Bellingan and the

wonderful staff at Mariposa Gardens for their care, concern and affection that was shown to our Uncle

Tom. Condolences and tributes may be directed to the family by visiting www.nunes-pottinger.com