Former Caledon Citizen owner Thomas Claridge passes away at 89

By Sam Odrowski 

A man who devoted his life to community news and keeping people informed has passed away.

Thomas Claridge, 89, who was born and raised in Shelburne, passed on peacefully at Headwaters Health Care Centre in Orangeville on January 18, surrounded by the love of his family.

He leaves behind his three children, Alan, Nancy and Christopher, as well as his four grandchildren Jacob, Ella, Owen and Maija.

Alan and Nancy describe him as thoughtful, passionate, quiet but caring, and heavily dedicated to his work.

Family was also something that Thomas always cherished.

“Beyond being passionate about the different work that he had professionally, his passion was just making sure that his kids and grandkids were happy,” said Nancy.

Claridge started his journalism career with the Canadian Press shortly after graduating from university and went on to write for the Globe and Mail for 30 years. While working as a reporter for the Globe, he purchased the Shelburne Free Press and Economist from his father in 1972 and founded the Orangeville Citizen in 1974.

Thomas and his wife Pam, who passed in 2024, also owned and operated the Caledon Citizen and Grand Valley Star-Vidette. Their son Alan contributed as reporter, editor and general manager over the years.

“[Tom] had gumption to start a newspaper in Orangeville where there already was an established newspaper at the time, [the Orangeville Banner]. He was just that serious about the responsibility of informing the community and providing an outlet for public response –– all while he worked for the Globe,” said Sheila Duncan, who worked as editor of the Orangeville Citizen, alongside Thomas, for around 20 years.

After he left the Globe and Mail in 1999, he became the managing editor of The Lawyer's Weekly. He held this role for many years before retiring but continued to write and edit for the newspapers he owned.

“I said for years, he'd probably die at his desk because that was what made him the happiest,” said Alan. “He didn't golf, he didn't collect stamps or do woodworking or anything like that. He was happy working. He was happy doing what he was passionate about.”

Nancy added, “He wasn't a man that had a lot of time because of all the work that he did, but when he was involved with something, he gave it his all, and he always wanted to make sure people were taken care.”

She said, “The newspaper was not a venture to make money. It was to serve the community and make sure there were jobs there. That's the way he liked to contribute.”

Alan said when Thomas bought the Shelburne Free Press and started the Orangeville Citizen, he and Pam were doing a majority of the work.

“Dad was the editor, the principal reporter, and the sports reporter for a long time,” he recalled.

“When both Nancy and I were younger… dinner times in the weekdays were always after 8 o'clock. If it was a Monday, which was production day, dad was heavily involved in not just the writing and the editing, but the production of the actual paper, so we'd eat later. Then the other four weekdays, he was in Toronto, working for the Globe and Mail.”

Alan said he learned a lot about the value of hard work from his father.

“The biggest thing that he instilled in me was a work ethic,” he noted.

Duncan added his brain never shut off.

“He was always thinking and always full of ideas. His face would light up with a thought and he'd often have a chuckle before he took off with his latest idea,” said Duncan. “He amazed me with his well-reasoned editorials and how quickly he could interpret and analyze everything from legal judgments to provincial energy reports.”

She added, “Journalism was in his blood and he had the brain and the integrity that suited that passion.”

Carolyn Dennis, who worked with Thomas at the Orangeville Citizen for around 20 years as office manager, described him as a “gentleman and a very gentle man.”

She said he was naturally curious, very knowledgeable about a variety of topics and was always a pleasure to chat with.

“Tom would sit down and talk to you and listen intently and carry on a conversation for as long as you want,” Dennis recalled. “It was always very interesting to talk to him because he was really well educated. He knew a lot about a lot of things… and he could tell a story.”

Alan said, “He was somebody you could talk to about literally almost any subject and he could carry a conversation with you about it.”

Dennis said Thomas dedication to the newspaper ensured local residents knew what was happening where they live.

“His impact on the community was huge because he really believed in community newspapers and community knowledge – getting the facts out there,” said Dennis.

She added that he and his late wife Pam were also very active in the Anglican Church.

Thomas wasn't raised Anglican but converted when he met Pam, who he married in 1965.

“He got a lot of happiness from the community that he found in the in the churches that he was involved with,” said Alan.

Nancy noted, much like Pam, he had a passion for music, joining church and community choirs. For a period of time, he was director of Orangeville Music Theatre (OMT).

Thomas and Pam's love of music was something they passed down to their kids.

“If you can believe it, all of us used to be performing on the stage of the ODSS cafeteria,” Nancy recalled.

Thomas accompanied Pam and Nancy on several concert tours to Carnegie Hall as well as France, Austria, Italy and Wales.

Behind the scenes, Thomas would ensure people visiting the town for music had a home to sleep in and that local events were well publicized.

Nancy and Alan said their parents' dedication to giving back and supporting the community is something they picked up as well. Both of them have been members of the local Rotary Club and Nancy helps organize the Orangeville Blues and Jazz Festival each year.

“Serving the community was deeply ingrained by our parents in us,” Nancy said.

A celebration of life for Thomas will be held on Friday, January 31 at 2 p.m. at St. Mark's Anglican Church in Orangeville.

Donations may be made to the Orangeville Food Bank or St. Mark's in lieu of flowers.

In Thomas's memory, a tree will be planted in the Dods & McNair Memorial Forest at the Island Lake Conservation Area.