Obituary of Arthur Rodney ‘Rod’ Thorfinnson

Arthur Rodney ‘Rod’ Thorfinnson of Mississauga passed away on Friday January 17, 2020 after a brief illness, in his 86th year. He is survived by his wife of 62 years Kathleen (Kay), his three children; LeAnne (Tony) of Oakville, Mike (Sylvia) of Oakville, and Doug (Corrie) of Carleton Place; and five grandchildren Eric, Sara, Mark, Nathan and Tyler. He is also survived by his sisters Carmelle (Sam) of Melbourne, Australia and Shari of Vancouver, as well many nieces, nephews and cousins.Rod was born in the hamlet of Kandahar, Saskatchewan on November 30, 1934 and spent his childhood in the town of Wynyard. After graduating from high school, he enrolled in the Arts program at the University of Saskatchewan eventually switching majors to Business. During this time, he married Kay and they moved to Toronto, where he completed a masters degree in Hospital Administration. He worked for 3 years in Saskatchewan and then he and Kay moved to London, ON in 1965 where he eventually became the CEO of Victoria Hospital until 1985. They then moved to Winnipeg, where he was CEO of the Winnipeg Health Sciences Centre for 15 years. In the fall of 2000, Rod retired, and he and Kay moved to Owen Sound. It was not long before he was called out of retirement in 2002 to become the interim CEO at Sunnybrook Hospital in Toronto for a year.Rod will be remembered for his quiet faith, sense of humour, love of cooking and music as well as his exceptional woodworking skills. He earned his pilot’s licence and flew his own plane, but mostly loved hunting. He drove his boat for his family of water-skiers at their cottages in Muskoka and Lake of the Woods, enjoyed tennis, golf and his annual ‘wade’ in the lake. His work afforded him opportunities to travel the world, and in his retirement, Rod was very involved in many volunteer activities in Owen Sound. Most of all, he was a proud father and Granddad and loved spending time with his family.In lieu of flowers, the family has requested that donations be made to the Trillium Health Partners - Mississauga site, where he received excellent care in his final days https://trilliumgiving.ca. A Celebration of Life service for Rod will be held on Saturday February 1st, 2020 at 1 p.m. at the Glen Oaks Funeral Home, 3164 Ninth Line, Oakville (Ninth Line & Dundas St. E.). Visitation will be held one hour prior (from 12 noon - 1 p.m.)More information can be found at www.glenoaks.ca.Rod lived a full life and we have the assurance that he is now in heaven celebrating with his family and friends who have gone before him.