Obituary of Thomas Saar

Thomas Saar passed away peacefully at Toronto General Hospital on December 21, 2022, at the age of 91, after a courageous battle with Parkinson’s. He is survived by his wife, Maris, his sons, Peter and Erik (Sharon), and his grandchildren, Alexander and Nicholas. He is predeceased by his beloved sister, Maret Truuvert.
Thomas was born in Viljandi, Estonia. In 1944, he fled with Maret and his mother to Sweden, his father joining them a few months later. Another move followed, this time to Ireland, where Thomas studied mechanical engineering at University College Dublin. After Thomas had completed two of the course’s three years, he and his family emigrated to Toronto, Canada. Thomas was committed to supporting his family, taking another new city in stride and securing a job. On a summer trip to Montreal with his Estonian fraternity, Vironia, Thomas met Maris. They married in 1957.
Thomas began his career as a draftsman with HH Angus & Associates, and soon joined the company that would become LKM & Partners, Consulting Mechanical and Electrical Engineers. There he spent the rest of his thirty-six-year career, his consulting jobs including Sudbury General Hospital, Laurentian University, and Science North. He worked his way up to become a partner and Executive Director. Thomas is credited with developing the consulting business in Northern Ontario, which culminated in a satellite office opening in Sudbury. He was truly dedicated to his profession, spending long hours on the road between Toronto and Sudbury, and other locations in Northern Ontario.
In Toronto, he was an active member of the Estonian fraternity Vironia. He provided pro bono advice to Tartu College on their capital rebuild. As executor of the Timmas estate he oversaw the design and build of the art studio called “Timmase Tare” at the Estonian children’s camp Jõekääru. He was also a member of the executive of the Estonian Businessmen’s Club.
Thomas’s life was one filled with love. His passion for carpentry became a life-long hobby, which kept him happily busy on evenings and weekends. He handcrafted much of the furniture in his family home on Wallingford Road, not to mention his construction of three additions to the house itself. He was a self-taught handyman in every sense of the word. Thomas also loved to travel. He and Maris explored the world together, visiting more than seventy countries over fifty years.
And perhaps most memorable was Thomas’s love for his family, and theirs for him. Thomas was there to support his family no matter the need, including embarking to Estonia several times during the Soviet occupation. Thomas was a steadfast source of guidance, who could offer both sage wisdom and witty jokes. A true family man, Thomas embodied warmth, resilience, and devotion to his loved ones.
The family will receive friends at the York Cemetery and Funeral Center, 160 Beecroft Rd. on Friday December 30 from 1pm to 2 pm (Visitation) and 2 pm to 3 pm (Memorial Service).
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Estonian Foundation of Canada, St. Andrew’s Estonian Evangelical Lutheran Congregation of Toronto, Parkinson Canada or UHN Foundation.