Obituary of Tom Allan "The Drifter" Wachter

Tom "The Drifter" Wachter, a long time resident of Grande Prairie, Alberta passed away on Thursday, May 26, 2016 in Salmon Arm, B.C. at the age of 76 years. Tom Wachter was born on May 1, 1940 in Lloydminster. He left home at the age of 16 and his first job was piling lumber in a sawmill in East Pine, B.C. It didn't take long for Tom to realize that hauling logs was making more money than he was, so when he was 19 he bought his first truck. Trucking seemed to be his first passion hauling logs, gravel, and trailers to Alaska. This caused a lot of moving, from job to job. He thought owning a sawmill would keep them in one place so he and a partner purchased the mill. After two years, his partner found greener pastures, leaving Tom with a lot of debt which was a painful learning experience. Tom met Patsy Surerus in 1965 and they fell in love and were married in 1966. They raised three children; Vince, Robin, and Parker. The Bennett Dam was being built at that time so Tom was able to get a couple of trucks hauling gravel, which gave them a reasonable income. Tom went back to hauling logs and purchased a fleet of seven HD Hayes, and was going into logging in a big way. For a short period of time, Tom worked for Kelemen Construction building pipelines, he also spent time with his brother-in-law Brian building pipelines. After that experience in the pipelining business, Tom set up his own company called Drift Development and spent 15 years in the pipeline business. Tom was always an impulsive buyer whether he had the money or not, which brought frustration to his bookkeeper Patsy. Retiring from pipeline work he had a lot of idle time, which could sometimes get him into a lot of trouble. Tom didn't know much about cattle but after owning a 1000 head cow-calf operation he soon got a good education. He was thankful for his neighbor Cliff Innis who got him out of many binds. Glenn Wallan took Tom to a farm sale and Tom bought a quarter section of land. After the sale Glenn took Tom on a drive to show him what he had bought. Tom had a knack for good luck in buying property which always brought him healthy returns. Tom's last major property as Robin calls it, "His Paradise Home" in Lumby, B.C. She has spent the last few years looking after the property. A couple of years ago Tom had a minor stroke which hospitalized him in Vernon, B.C. Neither the doctor or the family thought he would make it but he came back surprising all of them. He and Patsy spent several weeks in Lumby while he recovered. As she was leaving to care for her farm Tom felt lonely and said he either needed to find a girlfriend or get a dog. Patsy found a beautiful dog which Tom fell in love with. Tom and Patsy had a good life and she is very thankful for the smooth road he left for her. A Celebration of Tom's Life was held on Saturday, July 9, 2016 at 11:00 AM at the Church of Christ, Highland Park 9602-92 Avenue, Grande Prairie, AB. Faris Atkinson officiated. Interment will be at a later date. For friends so wishing, donations may be made in memory of Tom to the Church of Christ - Benevolence Fund (providing meals for the homeless), 9602-92 Avenue, Grande Prairie, AB T8V 0H4. Very Respectfully Reynars Funeral Home & Crematorium Celebration Of Life 11:00 am Saturday, July 9, 2016 Church of Christ - Highland Park 9602 - 92 Avenue Grande Prairie, Alberta, Canada 11:00 AM Alberta Time