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Bulva, Thomas

July 25, 1943

December 10, 2025

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Date of Service: December 16, 2025

THOMAS “TOM” ANTHONY BULVA, of Picture Butte, beloved husband of Elsie Bulva, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family at St. Michael’s Health Centre – Palliative Care Unit on Wednesday, December 10, 2025 at the age of 82 years.

Tom was born in Barnwell, Alberta to Ivan and Mary (Yaksich) Bulva, the baby of four children. Shortly afterwards, the family moved to Iron Springs, where Tom started school, and grew up playing baseball, helping his dad and brothers on the farm and playing music. After meeting Elsie and getting married, they settled in Picture Butte, where they built a home and raised their family. Tom hired on with the County of Lethbridge in 1966 and dedicated himself to his work for 30 years, retiring in July of 1996 as the Assistant Superintendent of Public Works. Tom knew the roads and farms of the county like the back of his hand and took immense pride in what he had accomplished in his years building and maintaining its roads. Tom was a man of quiet strength and dedication, and showed his love in the acts of service he performed for his family and friends. He preferred pulling his trailer all over Canada and the United States to getting on a plane or seeing foreign places. He was most happy when he was camping; sitting in front of an open fire, sipping a Crown and coke, and reading a good old western. He earned the nickname ‘Tinker Tom’ because he was always putzing around in his garage or yard and would much rather spend days fixing something than replacing it with something new.

Besides his loving wife of 54 years, Elsie, Tom will be remembered by his children, Mark Bulva of Picture Butte and Stephanie (Kyle) Luce of Beaumont, Texas. His love and memory will also endure in the lives of those who loved him, including his grandsons, Troy (Allison) Luce and Thomas (Valerie) Luce, and great-grandchildren, Lane and Ada Luce, all of Bridge City, Texas, his “special” grandchildren, Victoria and Mason Dowhaniuk of Red Deer, Alberta, his great-great-niece Oliva Deboer, and all of his sisters-in-law and brothers-in-law, nieces and nephews, and friends.

He was predeceased by his parents, sister Anne (Bulva) Boras, brothers, John Bulva and Walter Joseph Bulva, nephew Kenny Bulva, and niece Patricia Petersen. We know he was loving greeted by his dog Neko, and his lifelong friends Nick Yalowega, Ivan Dowhaniuk and John Zubach.

A Prayer Service will be held at ST. CATHERINE’S CATHOLIC CHURCH, 762 Crescent Avenue, Picture Butte, AB, on Monday, December 15, 2025 at 7:00 P.M. with Father Iqbal Khurshid officiating.

A Memorial Mass will be celebrated at ST. CATHERINE’S CATHOLIC CHURCH on Tuesday, December 16, 2025 at 11:00 A.M. with Father Iqbal Khurshid celebrating. The Memorial Mass will be live-streamed and may be viewed through Tom’s obituary on the Cornerstone website.

Following the Memorial Mass, Tom will be laid to rest in Huntsville Cemetery, Iron Springs, AB.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the ALS Society of Alberta (alsab.ca)