James Aung Thin

James “Bunny” Aung Thin (James Tin) was born in London, England on January 1, 1929 to Sarah Dhar and Maung Ba Tin and spent his formative years in Rangoon, Burma.

When Burma was invaded during World War 2, the Dhars evacuated to India, with young Jimmy watching for U-boats on the crossing. During the war, Jim attended St Joseph’s Academy in Dehradun, where his intellectual curiosity, off-beat sense of humour and love of chess were encouraged.  In 1947, he returned to a Burma devastated by bombing. As university placements were scarce, Jim travelled to England in 1948 to study finance, economics and accounting.  He subsequently joined the Institute of Chartered Accountants in England and Wales in 1955.  

Jim returned to Burma in 1955 and joined the Burmah Oil Company, where he worked on the senior executive for eight years. Burma was booming at this time and Rangoon was known for its lively social life. It was at a Rangoon cocktail party that he met Pamela Brady.  They married in 1961 and their first child, Michelle Diane, was born the following year.  In 1962 Burma’s government was overthrown by the military.  James and Pam made the difficult decision to leave their home and immigrated to Canada, leaving behind beloved family members, friends and a comfortable, familiar life. They would never return to Burma.

Jim and his young family first settled in Edmonton then moved to Ottawa for more promising career prospects. Once in Ottawa, they welcomed their first son, Peter James, followed by Pamela Anne. Following an initial series of “survivor jobs” a federal public service position came up in 1966.  

In 1967, Jim and Pam bought their first and only home in Blackburn Hamlet.  They met many of their lifelong friends in the neighbourhood, forming a strong sense of community in Ottawa.  A few years later, their youngest son, George Mathew, was born.

Jim and Pam took to Canadian life with enthusiasm, bringing the kids to Camp Fortune for ski lessons, skating on the Rideau Canal, purchasing cross country skis and snowshoes for the family to discover the greenbelt, and exploring local traditions like “Sugaring Off”. The family frequented Ottawa’s many festivals, parks and museums and spent summers renting lakeside cottages, ultimately purchasing a lot on lac Cayamant where Jim fulfilled his dream of building and owning his own cottage.

Jim’s career thrived with various roles in Supply & Services and the Canada Council and he became a Fellow of the Institute of Chartered Accountants in 1978. His innate curiosity manifested through the early adoption of computers and other technologies. Despite his deepening roots in Canada, he held on to many Burmese comforts and traditions. In the morning, he would leave for work in western business clothes, but would change into a traditional, and more comfortable Burmese longyi evenings and weekends. He often spoke Burmese at home with his wife and mother, Sarah Dahr, who lived with the family and whom he and Pam cared for until her passing in 1987. He was an excellent cook and made all the traditional Burmese dishes that his growing family learned to love and prepare, although no one can cook quite like dad. He had a high intellect, spoke English, Burmese and learned French and was well versed in geo-politics, cultural traditions and history. He loved nothing better than to listen to and opine on the latest news while practicing physics and calculus problems on a chalk board. He also loved travel – Greece was his favourite destination – and photography, with trips relived on family slide nights.  Other favourite pastimes included an active charades group, bible study group and shows at the Ottawa Little Theatre.  An annual favourite tradition was New Year’s dinner dances with close friends, first ringing in the New Year at midnight and then celebrating his birthday on January 1^st. He enjoyed watching tennis and football and his birthday was often a low-key affair with the television tuned in to US college bowl football games.

Over the decades, his family continued to grow, and he welcomed first daughter-in-law Nancy Stoughton (Peter), followed by sons-in-law François Leclerc (Pam), Warren Schnider (Michelle) and daughter-in-law Jenny Lane (George). All were welcomed warmly into the home of Jim and Pam and the old and new traditions of a Canadian-Burmese family were embraced with equal warmth. Shortly after his retirement in 1995, the next generation of the family began to arrive, to Jim’s sheer excitement and delight. Alexandre and Sierra in Quebec (Pam and François), Julian in Australia (Michelle and Warren) and Mattie and Lucy in British Columbia (George and Jenny). Jim revelled in his role as grandfather, never missing a school play, graduation, or dance recital at home, and giving him the perfect excuse to travel further, including trips to British Columbia and Australia. He always found time for his grandchildren who found their “baba-gee” to be loving, generous, timeless with a little bit of that off-beat humour held over from his youth.  In his later years, Jim’s daily pleasures were held closer to home including live opera telecasts, gourmet cooking, and investment tips traded with his children and grandchildren. These good times included many family dinners and hours spent in the garden.

Jim passed away on February 28, 2023 after a brief illness. In his final months, he wanted nothing more than to be with his wife of over 50 years and ensure she was well taken care of. His last visits with his grandchildren were precious to him and he always made sure they had enough pocket money to enjoy the small pleasures in life.  Our gratitude goes to the staff of the Montfort Hospital and Forest Valley Terrace and his community caregivers for their careful attention and empathetic care in Jim’s last few months.  Jim is survived by his wife, Pam, his children Michelle (Warren Shnider), Peter (Nancy Stoughton), Pam (François Leclerc) and George (Jenny) and his grandchildren, Alexandre, Sierra, Julian, Mattie and Lucy. Bunny, daddy, baba-gee, Jim, you will be deeply missed by your wife, family and friends.

The garden where you sit 
Has never a need of flowers
For you are the blossoms
And only a fool or the blind
Would fail to know it

~ Louis de Bernières

A celebration of James’s life will be held on Friday July 21^st, 1:00 pm, at the Beechwood Cemetery. Friends are welcome to attend the funeral service and reception.