Obituary of Wayne Melvin Trenholm

It is with great sadness that we announce the death of our beloved husband, father, papa, brother, uncle, and friend, Wayne Melvin Trenholm. Wayne passed away quietly on Friday, January 17, 2025, in the Palliative Care Unit at St. Martha’s Regional Hospital, at the age of 76.

Wayne was born in Sackville, New Brunswick, the eldest five children to the late Effie (Dodge) and Melvin Trenholm. He is survived by his wife of 54 years, Kathleen (MacLean); daughter and son-in-law, Erin and Larry Tate; grandsons Ian Dawson Wayne Trenholm, Havelock Thomas Tate, and Archie David Melvin Tate; sisters Linda (Dayna) Trenholm of PEI, Sandra Trenholm, and brothers Keith and Dale Trenholm, all of Antigonish; as well as his lifelong best friend, David (Peggy) Zinck. Wayne is also survived by sisters-in-law Anita Camroux, Pauline Martell, Bernadette (Alex) Delorey, Brenda (Donnie) MacFarlane, Charlene Druhan; and brothers-in-law John J. (Cavel) MacLean, Roderick (Debbie) MacLean. He was predeceased by his treasured son, David Ian; sisters-in-law Theresa Trenholm, Ruby Boone, Marjorie Lynn (Gerald) MacKenzie; and brothers-in-law Ev (Alma) MacLean, Chuck Camroux, Bernard MacLean, and Benny Druhan.

Wayne was a hard-working man throughout his life. At age 12, he began fishing with his father after his family moved from Port Elgin, NB, to Bayfield, NS. As a teenager, he sailed a boat on his own from New Brunswick to Nova Scotia. At 16, he moved to Ontario to live with his aunt and uncle and worked as a tin knocker. He was very successful in this trade, and his employers were sorry to see him leave and return home.

In the winter of 1972, Wayne found his true calling when he went to work for Zinck’s Transfer, hauling wood. There are people who drive trucks, and then there are truck drivers and Wayne was a professional truck driver who took great pride in his work. He drove for several local construction companies, including G & G Transport, where he traveled to the Alaskan border, California, Oregon, and the Rio Grande with nothing but a log book and a Rand McNally map. He was most proud of his time as a float truck operator for ALVA Construction (formerly Colin R. MacDonald Construction), where he hauled heavy equipment to job sites across Nova Scotia and New Brunswick.

Wayne married the love of his life, Kay, in July 1970, and together they built a marriage, family, and life he was extremely proud of. They raised their son David and daughter Erin in a home filled with love and support. They camped in Goshen, made many road trips to Niagara Falls, and attended numerous car shows. Friends and family were always welcome in their home and Wayne loved telling animated stories around the kitchen table, often using his fork to draw invisible maps or emphasize a point and punctuated with a fist bang on the table and a hearty laugh. In later years, Wayne and Kay enjoyed traveling in his Mini Cooper, from Cape Breton to Peggy’s Cove, PEI and the Gaspe in search of a good lunch or to visit friends they had made over the years. Wayne was absolutely devoted to Kay and spent the last six years caring for her and her health. In retirement, Wayne embraced his role as Papa and spent his time supporting his three grandsons travelling for basketball games, taking them for breakfast and lunch, chauffeuring them to daycare and camps, stopping by the bus stop in the morning to see them off to school and waving to them from the deck as they passed by in the afternoon. His grandsons were the light in his life.

When Wayne was a young fella of eight, his aunt Marge bought him a model car kit and showed him how to build it. Since then, Wayne built many models that were true works of art but, his biggest and best build was the restoration of his 1948 F-47.

Wayne was an honest, reliable, and good man who never asked for more than he earned. He provided well for his family, helped friends and neighbors, and stood strong during life’s storms. He filled each day with purpose and was proud of his hard work and accomplishments.

The family would like to thank their family, friends, neighbours, homecare, VON nurses, and the Palliative Care staff—both outpatient and inpatient—who surrounded Wayne and his family with love, care, and support during these last few months.

Visitation will be held from 2:00-4:00 and 6:00-8:00 pm on Monday, January 20th in MacIsaac Funeral Home, 61 Pleasant Street, Antigonish. Funeral service will be held at 2:00 pm on Tuesday in St. James United Church, Main Street, Antigonish, Reverend Peter Smith presiding.  Burial in St. Paul/St. James Cemetery. Memorial donations may be made to the St. James United Church Hot Lunch Program. 

“Do not stand at my grave and weep,

I am not there, I do not sleep. 

I am a thousand winds that blow,

I am the diamond glint on snow.”