Tom Bagley, 71, hails from Norton, N.B., originally and is remembered by childhood friend Wayne Wilkins as a generous man who would give you "the shirt off his back." (Facebook)
A Norton man is remembering his friend who died in the Nova Scotia tragedy as a generous soul who would “give you the shirt off his back.”
71-year-old Tom Bagley lived in Elmsdale, N.S., but owned a cottage in the Wentworth Valley.
He was originally from the village of Norton, where his friendship with Wayne Wilkins began when Wilkins moved there at the age of nine.
“As we got older, we decided we wanted to join the military and from then on, Tom and I were pretty much inseparable when it came to going on course and being on the ship,” Wilkins said.
Wilkins and Bagley both served in the Canadian navy on the aircraft carrier, HMCS Bonaventure, in Halifax from 1967 to 1970.
Wilkins says he learned of the tragedy on Sunday night when Bagley’s sister, Mary, called him. He describes the loss as “devastating”.
“I expect him to call or me to call him and it’s just not gonna happen,” Wilkins said.
Both Wilkins and Bagley worked as firefighters after their military careers ended.
Bagley worked at the Halifax airport and Wilkins at the Halifax dockyard.
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