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Obituary

Tomas Vytautas Jaugelis

MAY 17, 1982 – AUGUST 27, 2024  

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Tomas Vytautas Jaugelis—our dear son, brother, nephew, uncle, cousin and friend.

Tomas (Tom or Largo to his friends) entered this world eagerly, in Calgary, Alberta on the morning of Monday, May 17, 1982, surprising his parents with an unplanned home birth because he could not wait for the drive to the hospital. Born in the safety of home, he began life with a gentle and trusting heart.

Tom handled elementary grades with little effort and seemed to possess an intelligence beyond his years. But school left a painful mark on him as he endured bullying and other humiliations, and he ultimately lost trust in the structures of social authority. 

From an early age he was drawn to the beauty of nature, and by his teens he was nowhere at home so much as in the outdoors. He acquired survival and hiking skills through stints in the Outward Bound and Ghost River Rediscovery programs. His passion for eco-justice led him to environmental activism, engaging in trail building on Meares Island off Tofino for the Western Canada Wilderness Committee for several summers, and other initiatives. 

He was a leader of the “Stop the Pave” actions aimed halting the construction of the Highway 17 “South Fraser Perimeter Road” construction through Surrey and Delta, out of concern for the social and environmental impacts of the project. His leadership was admired by his peers, and more than once he was quoted in media in articles written about the protests.

For several happy years he lived with his partner on Denman Island where he found a community of like-minded people, learning to live gently on the land and care for one another. Unfortunately, he began to suffer from debilitating vertigo, adding to other inflammation-related conditions he had been enduring for several years. By 2017, the Complex ChronicDiseases Program at the BC Women’s Hospital and Health Centre had confirmed he was suffering symptoms consistent with fibromyalgia syndrome, chronic fatigue syndrome, myofascial pain in his arms, central sensitivity syndrome, and chronic idiopathic vertigo.

Before disability had finally curtailed his environmental activism and chronic pain diminished his quality of life, Tom continued to spend time outdoors, in the wild. Friends and family members who hiked and climbed with him fondly remember his camaraderie and skill.

Tom was keenly committed to the preservation of BC’s old-growth forests. Although his abilities were significantly impacted by his health conditions, he participated actively in the planning of the first protest actions for what became known as the Fairy Creek logging protest on Vancouver Island, considered the largest act of civil disobedience in Canadian history. He spent his last year living on the Pacific Coast of Vancouver Island finding solace walking the beaches and listening to the ocean sing its ancient song.

Tom enthusiastically joined a family trip to Lithuania in June 2024, visiting his grandparents’ homeland for the first time. With his parents, sister, aunt, niece and nephew, he traversed the beautiful Baltic country by car, enjoying seaside, farmland and urban vistas and experiences, stealing moments of peace and quiet in nature, and making treasured memories with loved ones that will serve as a comfort to those he left behind.

He is lovingly remembered by his parents, Vida and Algis (Al), his sister, Kristina (Giovanni), niece and nephew, Marina and Kristofer, aunts Ruta (Jim) and Rita (Simon), uncle Rimas (Brenda), cousins Sophia (Fernando), Ona (Jimmy), Laila, Sophie, and Nicolas, as well extended family in Lithuania and many friends.

In lieu of flowers we suggest acts of kindness in his honor. You can also donate to charities working to protect the land and waters of British Columbia:


From an early age he was drawn to the beauty of nature, and by his teen years, he was most at
home in the outdoors. He acquired outdoor survival and hiking skills through his participation in
the Outward Bound and Ghost River Rediscovery programs for youth. A trained and skilled
draftsman and an avid gardener, his passion for eco-justice ultimately led him to environmental
activism, engaging in trail building on Meares Island off Tofino for the Western Canada
Wilderness Committee for several summers, and other initiatives.Tom was a leader of the “Stop the Pave” actions aimed at halting the construction of the Highway 17 “South Fraser Perimeter Road” construction through Surrey and Delta, a protest movement that grew out of concern for the social and environmental impacts of the project. His leadership was admired by his peers and fellow activists, and he was quoted in media in articles written about the protests more than once.
Tom’s memorial service will be held on Friday, September 13th, 2024, at 1:30pm at Ladner United Church: 4960 48 Ave, Delta, BC V4K 4X6. Ashes will be interred following the service at Boundary Bay Cemetery, located at 856 56th Street in Tsawwassen.

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