Crean, Thomas (Tom) Patrick Joseph

Crean, Thomas (Tom) Patrick Joseph

September 23, 1956 - August 26, 2026

Passed away peacefully at Vancouver General Hospital surrounded by his loving family and the immortal tunes of Harry Chapin. Predeceased by his mother, Ellen Kearney-Crean in 1999, and his father, Patrick Crean in 2011, Tom is survived by his three children, Trevor (Jenalee), Kelly-Ann (Graham), Sean (Chenoa) and his five grandchildren, Oliver and Theodore Racich, Oren and Saskia Crean and Henry Crean; his brother, Michael (Bertha); many nephews and nieces on both sides of the family; cousins in England and many friends from Vancouver College and his numerous associations.

Tom was born in Vancouver in 1956 and lived with his family in Vancouver, Nanaimo and Liverpool, England before returning to Vancouver where he attended Vancouver College graduating in 1974. In 1978, the death of Frank Kearney required Tom to leave his final year of Philosophy at UBC to join his mother in the family funeral business, Kearney Funeral Services. He was 21. Kearney’s purchased Columbia Funeral Chapel in 1979, and his brother Michael joined the business in 1981. Ellen Kearney Crean and her two sons ran Kearney Funeral Services together for more than 25 years. In 1991 the family purchased Bowell and Sons, former headquarters of Loewen Group, from Loewen. It was the first time they had sold a funeral home to an independent family firm, and an accomplishment Tom was very proud of.

Tom became involved in consumer advocacy and public education early in his career. B.C. had very little regulation with respect to funeral service, which attracted the two largest funeral corporations in North America to Vancouver back in the 1960’s. By the 1990’s, they were handling more than 80% of the funeral arrangements in Greater Vancouver, and in 2006 the two large corporations merged. Tom was passionately concerned with the care of the bereaved. He was devoted to ensuring grieving families received the utmost in care and transparency at the most difficult and vulnerable time in their lives, rather than predatory sales tactics and inflated prices. Tom fiercely advocated and petitioned to protect the phrase “Family Funeral Care” which was being used misleadingly by a corporation. Tom was invited to address regulators and many funeral associations across the globe, including Ottawa, New York, Washington, D.C., and Sydney, Australia, to share his story of Independents (family-owned funeral homes) vs. Corporations. His efforts culminated in 4,000 Independents in both the United States and Canada successfully opposing the trademarking of the phrase ‘Family Funeral Care’ by a large funeral conglomerate.

Tom’s penchant for going up against impossible odds caused him to make an ironic choice of heroes, a man he called the ‘patron saint’ of lost causes: Don Quixote. Simon Fraser University’s faculty of Anthropology student Matthew Hayes made a short film on Tom’s endeavours, which won ‘Best Picture’ and ‘Best Screenplay’ at the Annapolis Valley Film Festival, called: Tom Quixote. Tom also wrote his own account of his battles with corporations, which he later published as “It’s Your Funeral: How Grieving Families are Being Exploited and How we Can Stop It”.

Tom became a Rotarian in 1980 and it played a major role in his life. He and his then wife, Jo-Ann, were active in many Rotary functions – Ice Capades, Curling, Bridge, Bikeathon, World Help Network, as well as hosting many Rotary Christmas Carol parties. The Creans also hosted Rotary International Exchange students from Japan, Brazil, Italy, Germany, and the Netherlands, to name a few! Despite numerous health challenges in the last years of his life, Tom faithfully attended Tuesday lunch meetings of the Rotary Club of Downtown Vancouver at the Terminal City Club.

Tom was a proud member of many Catholic organizations. He was an active member of the Knights of Columbus for many years and volunteered countless hours to assist their cause. Tom was a member of the Serra Club and a Knight of the Holy Sepulchre. He was also one of the founding members of Legatus, invited by then Archbishop J. Michael Miller, CSB. Through these organizations Tom made many life-long friends.

Tom’s great passion was music. He played guitar and banjo and happily shared his talents (and his song books) with friends and comrades, be it around a campfire or at the Air Force Officer’s Association’s “Dawn Patrol.” He released several albums, including the foot-stomping “Undertaker Blues”, and several songs dedicated to his heroes, Terry Fox, Harry Chapin, & Don Quixote. A natural entertainer, he was also delighted to act as “Emcee” (and DJ!) at numerous school and charity galas, fundraisers, and bonspiels over the years. Tom’s other passion was fishing, which he shared with his father-in-law, Jack, and his son, Trevor. He was a proud member of the Tyee Club.

Tom had an entrepreneurial spirit. In 1987, he created and registered the trademark for “Videogram” – the modern version of the photo booth. The idea was a meld of his interests in media, education, music and free speech in which one could make a video message or entertaining “short” and send it to friends or loved ones. In 1990, Videogram received an award in Popular Science for being one of its Top Ten Inventions.

Tom’s first-hand experiences with large corporations wiping out small businesses led him in the direction of media education and government accountability. He became involved with the non-profit Freedom of Information and Privacy Association (FIPA) - and soon befriended the founder, Darrell Evans, who became a dear friend and “Uncle” to Tom’s 3 children. Monthly FIPA meetings were held for many years at the Granville Street house with an array of concerned and influential people who lobbied for personal privacy and government accountability. The Granville Street house was an active hub of social engagements and social causes and the door was literally always open to anyone who needed a place to stay or had a problem to address.

In 2016, Tom followed his passion to create a cemetery that allowed families to grieve in their own way, meanwhile being mindful of the planet and stewardship for future generations. Tom dreamed of partnering with religious and community groups to provide them with affordable burial grounds in keeping with their beliefs. He and his brother parted ways in business and Tom invested in land in South Surrey where he and his 3 children developed his dream into Heritage Gardens – a beautiful space with bee hives, bird houses, picnic tables, and an organic veggie garden. The cemetery provides an eco-friendly and holistic approach to end of life care. Tom was so proud of how his children took over his dream and made it a reality.

Tom spent the last few years of his life at Chelsea Park where he was appreciated for his guitar-playing and singing. Tom’s family are grateful to the staff and management at Chelsea Park for their care and kindness. Tom will be fondly remembered for his love of music and entertaining; his passionate concerns for the bereaved; his love of a good time and his “never give up” positivity.

Prayers will be offered Tuesday, September 8 at 5:30 pm at St. Augustine’s Church, 2028 West 7th Ave., Vancouver, where Mass of Christian Burial will follow on Wednesday, September 9 at 11:00 am, Fr. Ignacy Warias, OMI and Fr. Ron Thompson concelebrants. Burial to follow at Heritage Gardens Cemetery, 19082 16 Ave., Surrey. In lieu of flowers, donations to the BC Bereavement Helpline gratefully acknowledged.

For those who are unable to attend in person, the family welcomes you to join virtually through the following link. https://primestreamings.com/kearney/