Obituary of Jim Pilkington

With heavy hearts we announce that after a courageous 20-month battle with Pancreatic Cancer, James (Jim) Kenneth Pilkington passed away peacefully April 29, 2023 surrounded by family at home in St. Thomas, Ontario. He is now free of pain and gone to be with his Lord and Saviour. In his final months, days, and moments Jim was surrounded by his ever-loving wife Carolyn, his children Ashley (Tom), James (Eva), Victoria (Mike) and his precious grandchildren Theo, William, Clara and a new addition arriving any day.

He is predeceased by his father George and mother Ellen. He will be fondly remembered by his two brothers Doug (Vianna) and Ron (Adrienne) and the many nieces and nephews.

Jim was born in Halifax, Nova Scotia on January 24, 1952. When he was a young boy his family moved to London, Ontario where he spent most of his childhood. He met his loving wife Carolyn on a weekend trip to Delawana Inn in 1978. Jim sent a bottle of wine to a cute nurse sitting across the dining room, and the rest was history! Carolyn famously went home and told her mom, “I just met my husband!” They got married May 17, 1980 and have spent the last 43 years adventuring, loving and laughing. Jim spent his career working at Woolco/Walmart for 40+years holding many hats as Buyer, Merchandise Manager, and Director of Store of the Community. He was known to always be the first one into the office every day and to always be the loudest during the morning cheer! He had such enjoyment for his work team, colleagues and his job that it was a difficult decision to retire, so he only ever semi-retired in 2013, continuing to spread his work enjoyment by mentoring countless people at Walmart.

Jim’s true passions were his family and the outdoors. Jim and Carolyn instilled the love for the outdoors in their children during countless family weekends cross-country skiing and hiking. They spent every summer at their cottage with their children enjoying days at the beach swimming in Lake Huron, including the last two summers with their grandchildren Theo, William and Clara. The last 10 years in his semi-retired life, Jim and Carolyn enjoyed many cruise adventures and countless cross-country road trips as the self-proclaimed ‘Teardrop Adventurers’ with their trailer and their late dog Toby that brought them to the most distant corners of North America. But they would tell you that their second home was Vancouver Island where their son James and his family live. Their favourite places to go birding, walking, exploring low tides, and enjoying watching whales swim by were the Campbell River Estuary, Quadra Island’s Rebecca Spit and Comox’s Goose Spit. This past October, Jim and Carolyn had the most unforgettable 3-week trip to the Island where many of their favorite places were visited and so many more special memories were made.  Jim really enjoyed birding, kayaking, canoeing, camping, hiking, cross-country skiing, photography, helping others, eating great food, and taking any chance to spend quality time with his children, grandchildren, and Carolyn.  He will be profoundly missed, but his infectious spirit for life will persist for ages.

This was not Jim’s first battle with cancer, having successfully battled throat cancer 20 years ago, but throughout both battles his wife Carolyn was his constant supporter and his rock until the very end and beyond.

We want to express our most sincere gratitude to Dr. Welch and Dr. Southcott of The Baker Center for Pancreatic Cancer for their treatment plan that kept Jim with us as long as possible. We also want to send our profound appreciation to the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Chemotherapy Unit nurses and oncologists for the exceptional care, love and support they provided to our beloved father/husband during his battle. We are also very grateful to the several nurses who conducted home visits and provided in-home support during Jim’s final months.  Finally, we are humbled by the many friends and neighbours who provided or offered support in countless ways, no matter how big or small, throughout this challenging journey. Thank you.

Visitation will be held at the Shawn Jackson Funeral Home, 31 Elgin Street, St. Thomas (519-631-0570) on Thursday, May 4, 2023 from 6:00 - 8:00 p.m.  The funeral service will be held on Friday, May 5, 2023 at 11:00 a.m.  Interment Elmdale Memorial Park Cemetery.  In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the St. Thomas Elgin General Hospital Chemotherapy Unit (https://www.stegh.on.ca/hospital-services/chemotherapy/) or the Baker Center for Pancreatic Cancer at Victoria Hospital (https://lhsf.ca/inspiring-story/baker-centre-pancreatic-cancer).