Thomas Ralston Denton
Thomas Ralston Denton
CM, OM, CD, BA (Acadia) LLB (Dalhousie) LLD (Manitoba and Winnipeg) FSJC (Manitoba)
With family by his side, Tom Denton died peacefully on Monday, October 5th, 2026, at Luther Home (Winnipeg) in his 93rd year.
Tom was born in Amherst, NS, eldest child of Reverend Dr. Harvey Leroy Denton and Evelyn Nellie (Powell) Denton. He is survived by his wife, June Smith Denton (married for 69 years) and by his children, Peter Denton (Mona), Janet Warsza (Richard), and Sarah Cisaroski (Kevin); four grandchildren; four great-grandchildren; adopted sons, Paul and Tommy; and children by choice, Emmanuel (Edith) Munyuza and Gabriel Bali. He was predeceased by his two sisters, Evelyn Harvey Dickinson and Carol Ann Snair.
After high school in Halifax, he attended Acadia and Dalhousie. Called to the bar in Alberta, he worked in Calgary for Home Oil, before moving to Winnipeg in 1967 as corporate counsel for BACM and then as an executive with Genstar. Among many business activities, he was the founding publisher of the independent Winnipeg Sun (1980-83). He served in the Royal Canadian (Navy) Reserve for 14 years, retiring in 1967 as LCdr, with the CD.
His appointment as Executive Director of the Citizenship Council of Manitoba/International Centre of Winnipeg launched him into work with refugees. In 2006 (at 72), he started working on private refugee sponsorship with Hospitality House Refugee Ministry, and was only retired at 85 by a series of strokes and the pandemic. A fierce advocate for diversity and equality, he often brought the fire of compassion into a cold bureaucratic room. Volunteerism was a life passion, and his community commitment to arts, culture, and social justice was recognized by many organizations in Manitoba and beyond. A Presbyterian elder for over 60 years, Tom’s Christian faith drove his interfaith and intercultural work, receiving among many other awards the Ihsan Award (2016). He was honoured with the Order of Manitoba (2014) and the Order of Canada (2019).
His funeral service, followed by a reception, will take place Monday, October 19th at 11:00 a.m. at Bethel Mennonite Church, 465 Stafford Street, Winnipeg. The service will also be livestreamed. Prayers and visitation will be held on Sunday, October 18th, from 7:00 to 8:00 p.m., at the Gilbart Funeral Home in Selkirk. A private interment will take place at a later date.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Tom and June Denton Fund at the Winnipeg Foundation, or to a charity of your choice. Arrangements in the care of Gilbart Funeral Home, 30 Eveline Street, Selkirk, MB.
For tributes and a link to the livestream of the service: www.gilbartfuneralhome.com