Tom Molloy remembered at state memorial service

Tom Molloy’s greatest asset might not have been his sharp wit, his impactful negotiating or his leadership.

According to friends and family at his public state memorial service at Merlis Belsher Place in Saskatoon on Saturday, the greatest asset of the 22nd lieutenant-governor of Saskatchewan was his humility.

“Above all, and inclusive above all, it was his humanity that most shone through. He was a wonderful man who truly earned love and admiration and the celebration of the life we mark today,” said Peter MacKinnon, former University of Saskatchewan president and master of ceremonies for the memorial.

After nearly five decades of public service, Molloy died July 2 after a battle with pancreatic cancer.

RCMP officers carry Tom Molloy’s casket to begin the state memorial service at Merlis Belsher Place on July 13, 2019.(Keenan Sorokan/650 CKOM)

With roughly 800 people — largely populated by dignitaries, politicians, colleagues and Indigenous leaders — Molloy was given a royal sendoff fit for anyone representing Canada’s monarch in the province. But all people could talk about was how caring and relatable Molloy was.

“As the late Peter Gzowski once said, ‘Saskatchewan is the most Canadian of provinces.’ And if that’s true, Saskatchewan’s son, Tom Molloy, is the most Canadian of Canadians,” Greg Poelzer, a close friend and a professor with the School of Environment and Sustainability at the U of S, said as he shared his thoughts on Molloy’s life.

The most Canadian of lives began in Saskatoon and was nurtured at the U of S, from which Molloy graduated with a law degree in 1965. Beginning his career as a lawyer in general practice, he soon found a natural ability as a skilled negotiator.

Molloy eventually became the desired choice as the chief negotiator for Canada, leading the country to the negotiating table for the Nunavut Land Claim Agreement in 1993. That eventually saw the country’s largest territory split from the Northwest Territories and join Confederation in 1999.

Those negotiations, as well as the Nisga’a Agreement (British Columbia’s first treaty signed in the modern era), began Molloy’s lifelong relationship with Indigenous communities across Canada.

After a moving speech and song for Molloy, National Chief of the Assembly of First Nations Perry Bellegarde couldn’t understate Molloy’s role in shaping the country.

“Tom build up trust and respect with First Nations people. Once you do that, you can get things done,” Bellegarde said. “It’s rightful that you can say he is a modern-day Father of Confederation.”

Molloy, or Wambil Kinyan (Flying Eagle) as he was known to Indigenous leaders and negotiators, was made an Officer of the Order of Canada in 1996.

He served as chancellor of the U of S from 2001 to 2007, and in 2012 was made a Member of the Saskatchewan Order of Merit.

That distinguished career led him to become Saskatchewan’s lieutenant-governor, a role to which he was formally installed on March 21, 2018.

Lt.-Gov. Thomas Molloy is sworn in at the Legislative Building on March 21, 2018. (Britton Gray/980 CJME)

Longtime friend and federal Member of Parliament Ralph Goodale remembered Molloy’s inspirational speech from that ceremony.

“I’ve always loved our provincial motto: From many people’s strength,” Goodale said, quoting Molloy’s speech.

“Our people are indeed our greatest strength. We are an innovative and tolerant people that want to live in peace and harmony with one another, and with the magnificent terrain we call home.”

Goodale also said Molloy was “seeking and achieving reconciliation long before it became a Canadian preoccupation.”

On Saturday, just two weeks shy of his 79th birthday, family and friends said Molloy’s willingness to joke was his real gift. That included taking a verbal jab at a fellow negotiator’s attire in a crowded boardroom.

Poelzer said Molloy always dressed for the occasion out of respect for people, never himself. He was usually seen in a suit, or his dressed-down appearance of a dress shirt and sport coat.

That sense of style was never more evident than when he was dressed in his nicest suit at home as he prepared to travel for out-of-province negotiations.

His wife Alice wouldn’t let him leave until the lawn was mowed. Without any time to spare, Molloy rushed outside and started mowing the lawn in his best attire.

A neighbour happened to drive by and shouted: “Just as I thought. Tom Molloy even mows his lawn in a suit!”

With guests like Gov. Gen. Julie Payette in the crowd, moving speeches and inspirational words about Molloy showed a man of exemplary behaviour and determination unlike anyone else.

As his casket was moved from the south end of Merlis Belsher Place and into the awaiting hearse outside, four Royal Canadian Air Force CT-155 Hawk jets commemorated a life well lived by flying over the area.

Those jets joined a memorial service that celebrated a man with an impressively long list of accolades, but also a man who was best known for his friendship to the man across from him, the province he served, and the country he helped reshape.