I am so sorry to hear of Tom’s death. Even though I have not seen you folks in years, you have been a constant source of inspiration and strength in my psyche/soul. Through the years Tom and his family have been a transformative part of my life –transformative in ways that were often surprising. My memory is not complete, and you probably wouldn’t want to read it all if it were complete, but I would like to share with you some memories of Tom in my life….
Through the years I credit Tom with saving my life on more than one occasion. Well, maybe that’s overly dramatic, but the fact is he was there and saved me from further injury several times. One instance was when we decided to build a Habitat for Humanity house in Puyallup. Tom, the builder, acted as the building supervisor for the Church. As in many cases, we had to demolish before we could build. Tom loved demolition almost more than building. I seemed to get off on demolition as well, for I joined in the fun as we tore down an old garage. In the process, I got a bit carried away and knocked the supports off a wall –a wall that I happened to be standing beneath. Fortunately, Tom was watching and ran to support the wall until I could escape the fall line. It would have flattened me if not for Tom’s watchful eye.
I few years later, we hired Tom and Bob Anderson to demolish our upstairs area and do some remodeling. This time I had the good sense to stay away until they finished the project. I think I was in Packwood writing my dissertation.
Somewhere in that same sequence of years, we organized a men’s bicycle trip in the Juan Islands. I think this incident happened on the first trip…. I rode ahead of the rest of the group, and on the way to the Ferry landing on Lopez Island I crashed. The road to the landing is a steep descent and as I was flying toward the dock I tried to jump a large hole in the road. I made the jump just fine, but in the process my front wheel came off and I planted my face on the pavement! I ended up lying in left lane of the roadway, bleeding from my head and not moving. It was Tom who recognized me and stopped to help. He waited with me until the Ambulance arrived, and then he rode with me to the ER. Tom stayed with me in ER, though he was feeling terribly awkward. I was frightened and going into shock, so I asked Tom to talk to me…. He pleaded ignorance: “I don’t know what to say.” But then he started talking and telling me jokes,…..finally I had to ask him not to talk because my face hurt too much to laugh….
It’s difficult to express in words what Tom meant to me through the years. We shared more than a few life changing events as well as great times of fun and celebration. Tom was a reliable friend, an encouraging companion. One aspect of Tom’s personality that I didn’t have much opportunity to share was his strong attraction to pawn shops and garage sales. Tom thrived on a bartering system… He was nearly obsessed with finding “good stuff” --good stuff generally meant stuff for future building projects.
Had I known that Tom’s death was immanent (had any of us known) I would have like to have shared with him these words from author, Thomas Wolfe:
"Dear Fox, old friend, thus we have come to the end of the road that we were to go together.... and so farewell. But before I go, I have just one more thing to tell you: Something has spoken to me in the night, burning the tapers of the waning year; something has spoken in the night, and told me I shall die, I know not where. Saying: "To lose the earth you know, for greater knowing; to lose the life you have, for greater life; to leave the friends you loved, for greater loving; to find a land more kind than home, more large than earth Whereon the pillars of this earth are founded, toward which the conscience of the world is tending --a wind is rising, and the rivers flow."
I have many other treasured memories of Tom, some of which I will share with you via usps.
Dear Jan and family, We were so saddened to hear of Tom's passing. We know how very much he will be missed by all of his family and everyone who knew him. While Bruce and my contacts with Tom were often a long time between, we really enjoyed the time we did get to spend with him. I first knew Tom when we were students at Eastern Oregon. I remember one evening when a group of us decided to go somewhere for a drive, I no longer have a clue where, but Tom was going to drive. We were all a little surprised when he came to pick us up in an old panel truck with no real seating area. While I don't remember where we were going, I do remember Tom's humor and sense of adventure making the evening one to remember. It seems that most of our memories of Tom were ones of humor. After hearing of Tom's passing, I shared with Bob and Sharon that one of the most enjoyable evenings I remember spending with him was a simple one of all of us playing cards together. It was a beautiful, warm summer day and evening in the Gulf Islands at Ganges. After tourning the town, we found a shaded place to set up for a game of gin rummy. How we ever let Tom and Bruce sit next to each other is a mystery, as the two of them had been playfully bantering with each other the whole trip. Illustrated by the fact that Jan and I always had to be prepared to hold on tight while riding in the boats, because we never knew when Tom and Bruce would decide to engage in their own boat drag races; usually instigated by Tom. Anyway, the card game went fine until, Bruce, who Tom accused of being a terrible discarder, made the mistake of tossing another worthless card to Tom and saying, "Isn't that just precious." Big mistake! Because Tom ran with it and nicknamed Bruce "precious" for the rest of the trip. I can think of a lot of endearing words for Bruce but precious just never comes to mind. As the evening wore on, the pub across the water began playing music. Tom was determined that he and "precious" should go dancing with or without the rest of us. There are few times in life that I remember laughing as hard as I did that night. There are other memories, including the time we spent with him at Brooke's wedding, that we will hold dear, but it was the simple times like that evening that are our favorite. He was always fun to be with, and we will dearly miss him and his intoxicating humor. I would also like to share this poem with you, as it has always been comforing to me.
Do not stnd at my grave and weep.
I am not there I do not sleep.
I am a thousands winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning hush,
I am the swift upligting rush Of quiet bird in quiet flight.
It was obvious how very much Big Guy loved his family and how much you all loved him. I remember laughing and having a great time at his house a few times through the college years with Ryan and Meg. You all are a living legacy of his spirit and life. My prayers are with you during this difficult time.
Dear Jan and Family, God's continued grace to you and the family. What a pleasure it was to know Tom in so many different settings--the cabin, working Transportation at the Puyallup Fair, a card player, being part of his "breakfast club", on the boat. camping and getting to work beside a master carpenter. He was a master at listening to people as demonstated by his humorous one liners that dovetailed so well with the last comments made. He saw the world as a place to be enjoyed and he loved to share that joy with others. The big reason for taking a job at the fair was knowing that Tom was going to be there. The highlight of "working" with Tom at the fair was getting his perceptions to the three ring circus behind the grandstand. Doing church rennovation projects with Tom was an uplifting experience. He would look at the task at hand, take out his tape measure and immediatly start building....he was always patient this gofer who was always ten or more steps behind. I swear he wore 3-D glasses that permitted him to see the big picture--not only in building but in life. He was a natural for being able to span the generations; he was comfortable with people of any age. Our children would often ask about Tom. How he loved, cherished, and adored his family. You people were the center of his life of which he was so proud. He enjoyed and accepted the differences of each family member and loved to keep us posted about family happenings. What a pleasure it was to watch the affection between Tom and you, Jan. Our family will always remember Tom and his gentle nature... Gene and Dot
Dear Cami and Family~ All I think when I think of Tom is seeing him with Cami, Brian and their boys and what an amazing love they all have for eachother. I'm not sure if I have ever seen such a close relationship with a daughter and her father as I did with Cami and Tom and really, the hwole family. He seemed to LOVE being a grandpa and played the role so well! Every soccer game I went to, Tom was chearing the boys on and at Luigi's first birthday party, while all of the adults were sitting around visiting, Tom was out playing frisby with the kids. Although I don't have stories of my own to tell, I can hear Cami telling us so many about her Dad. What an amazing man with a huge heart....God is so lucky to have him sitting with Him now! My heart hurts for your loss and I pray that the hurt will soon be replaced with joyful memories of Big Guy! You are all in my prayers... Karly
For those in your family who know me, you know I have a rather long waiting period (like forever in most cases) before I feel comfortable calling somebody by his nickname. So, because I only knew Tom for a little more than a year, I always called him Tom.
In fact, because I never heard an explanation for the nickname Big Guy, it baffled me at first. He was the first “Big Guy” I met who wasn’t at least 6-foot-5. But even from my outside perspective the name quickly made sense. The impact he had on you guys wasn’t just big it was huge. For me, somebody who admires your family, one of the things that impressed me most about Tom was the way you guys talked about him.
I remember hanging out with Brian and Cami the night they moved into their new house. As we were rehashing all the backbreaking labor, Cami started talking about how awesome Big Guy was. I remember thinking, first, how cool is it that she calls her dad Big Guy. Second, how cool is it that she appreciates him and doesn’t take him for granted. And third, how cool is it that she talks to other people about her dad this way.
Someday I hope my kids talk that way about me.
Tom was genuine, he was loved, he was caring and he definitely lived up to his nickname.
"Big Guy" was the All-American Dad. We have loved Tom since the first day we met him. It was apparent that when you become friends with Brian & Cami, you get "Big Guy" too. We loved being around Tom and Jan - because they always cared about us. They made us feeel loved and important. They valued genuine friendships. We will always remember Big Guy as #1 Dad, and #1 Grandpa. He showed up to everything that was important to his family. He found enjoyment in everything he did. He provided a source of inspiration, encouragement, and acceptance to all of those around him. Tom was a one-in-a-million and will be forever missed.
Dear Jan, Brynn, Cami, Brian, Meg, Ryan, and Matt,
Tom was a man with many friends and he had the ability to sustain those friendships over many years. Kathy and I first met Tom thirty years ago when we began attending First Presbyterian Church and became involved in the church youth group. We are indebted to Brynn, Cami and Megan. They were the catalyst for the long relationship that in many ways was right out of Samuel Clemens, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He even had the right name. Tell us if this short passage delivered by Aunt Polly doesn’t fit Tom.
“His aunt Polly stood surprised a moment, and then broke into a gentle laugh. Hang the boy, can’t I never learn anything? Ain’t he played me tricks enough like that for me to be looking out for him by this time? But old fools is the biggest fools there is. Can’t learn an old dog new tricks, as the saying is. But my goodness, he never plays them alike, two days, and how is a body to know what’s coming? He ‘pears to know just how long he can torment me before I get my dander up, and he knows if he can make out to put me off for a minute or make me laugh, it’s all down again and I can’t hit him a lick.”
Tom and I shared many adventures together over the years. I remember the time we road our bikes all over the San Juan Islands with the Church youth group and Tom and I brought Jack Terry back laid out in the back of my Van because he fell and banged up his head. We were mad at Jack because the blackberries were ripe and we had to stop eating them along the bike route and tend to the damaged church pastor. Tom also talked Dick Smith and I into sneaking out of camp and going down to the Tavern in Friday Harbor to have a beer after a long days ride with the kids.
There was the time Kathy, Jan, Tom, and I took our boats down to Lake Shasta in Northern California and spent two weeks exploring all the nooks and crannies on the lake. It was so hot that we spent all day floating on the lake to stay cool then went back to our campers in the late afternoon and played cards all night or until Kathy fell asleep. It was Tom and I against Kathy and Jan . We always won because Tom would make Gin and Tonics and he would give the girls a little added nip too help them think better. In the morning Tom would always tell me I will meet you at the designated destination on one of the many spurs to Lake Shasta and roar off leaving me in his wake. In those days his boat was faster than mine and he enjoyed that. One day we walked up to the store and the clerk told us to be careful because there was a bear in camp. So we came back and told the girls about the bear and they didn’t believe us and said we are going to the store and get some bacon for breakfast and we will take the dogs and we will be right back. They didn’t believe us because Tom liked to play tricks. It wasn’t five minutes until they came running back yelling that a bear was coming down the road.
One year Tom and Jan talked Kathy and I into taking our boats up to Lewiston, Idaho and launching them in the Snake river. We came back down the Snake River into the Columbia River and going all the way to Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia. Bryan and Cami followedt us to Lewiston and took our trucks and trailers back to Puyallup. They met us two weeks later in Kalama where we returned to haul the boats out. We pretended that we were Lewis and Clark and Jan and Kathy were Sacajawea and Pocahontas. We went through seven Locks and seven dams as we came down the rivers. We scared Jan and Kathy and ourselves when we ran into ten foot waves caused by the wind in the gorge by Hood river. After that Tom said he was going to lead and he lead us into the rocks and ruined our props. We stopped and Tom applied a temporary fix by hammering the dents and nicks out. We had to stop and wait for some new props shipped out of Portland so we got motel rooms and played cards and once again Tom fixed Gin and Tonics so Jan and Kathy could think better and Tom and I could win.
I eventually put a bigger engine in my boat so I could go as fast as Tom. We raced each other out on Puget Sound and I lightened my boat up so I could go a little faster. Tom sold his boat and got one that was faster. Kathy wouldn’t let me get a faster boat.
One year I took Tom fishing up north of Vancouver Island on my boat. It was fogged in and Tom asked me if we were lost. I said no and told him to keep watching the radar scope and please tell me if we were going to get hit by any ships. He asked me if we were having fun yet. Just then we came out of the fog bank so I said yes.
I can’t tell you how many times Tom and I ate lunch or breakfast together. It was a lot. Every new event stimulated a lunch or breakfast. We talked about our kids and our wives and the past and the future and the next adventure. I new how much he loved his family because of those meetings and how proud he was of all of you. I new how excited he was about his new grandsons Luigi , Heiner, and Kai. He was looking forward to the birth of Meg and Cami’s twins. Tom convinced me I should work with him at the Fair one year and that was an adventure because we chaperoned all the entertainers in and out. We were taking about buying and old car and doing “The Old Car Race’ across the United States. We hadn’t figured out who was going to buy the car but that was going to be our next great adventure.
Kathy and I will miss Tom being in our lives. I considered him to be one of my best friends. He was a special and unique person.
13 comments:
I think the shirt says it all... "old guys rule" and this guy, Big Guy, not yet that old, ruled them all
Dear Jan and family:
I am so sorry to hear of Tom’s death. Even though I have not seen you folks in years, you have been a constant source of inspiration and strength in my psyche/soul. Through the years Tom and his family have been a transformative part of my life –transformative in ways that were often surprising. My memory is not complete, and you probably wouldn’t want to read it all if it were complete, but I would like to share with you some memories of Tom in my life….
Through the years I credit Tom with saving my life on more than one occasion. Well, maybe that’s overly dramatic, but the fact is he was there and saved me from further injury several times.
One instance was when we decided to build a Habitat for Humanity house in Puyallup. Tom, the builder, acted as the building supervisor for the Church. As in many cases, we had to demolish before we could build. Tom loved demolition almost more than building. I seemed to get off on demolition as well, for I joined in the fun as we tore down an old garage. In the process, I got a bit carried away and knocked the supports off a wall –a wall that I happened to be standing beneath. Fortunately, Tom was watching and ran to support the wall until I could escape the fall line. It would have flattened me if not for Tom’s watchful eye.
I few years later, we hired Tom and Bob Anderson to demolish our upstairs area and do some remodeling. This time I had the good sense to stay away until they finished the project. I think I was in Packwood writing my dissertation.
Somewhere in that same sequence of years, we organized a men’s bicycle trip in the Juan Islands. I think this incident happened on the first trip…. I rode ahead of the rest of the group, and on the way to the Ferry landing on Lopez Island I crashed. The road to the landing is a steep descent and as I was flying toward the dock I tried to jump a large hole in the road. I made the jump just fine, but in the process my front wheel came off and I planted my face on the pavement! I ended up lying in left lane of the roadway, bleeding from my head and not moving. It was Tom who recognized me and stopped to help. He waited with me until the Ambulance arrived, and then he rode with me to the ER. Tom stayed with me in ER, though he was feeling terribly awkward. I was frightened and going into shock, so I asked Tom to talk to me…. He pleaded ignorance: “I don’t know what to say.” But then he started talking and telling me jokes,…..finally I had to ask him not to talk because my face hurt too much to laugh….
It’s difficult to express in words what Tom meant to me through the years. We shared more than a few life changing events as well as great times of fun and celebration. Tom was a reliable friend, an encouraging companion.
One aspect of Tom’s personality that I didn’t have much opportunity to share was his strong attraction to pawn shops and garage sales. Tom thrived on a bartering system… He was nearly obsessed with finding “good stuff” --good stuff generally meant stuff for future building projects.
Had I known that Tom’s death was immanent (had any of us known) I would have like to have shared with him these words from author, Thomas Wolfe:
"Dear Fox, old friend, thus we have come to the end of the road that we were to go together.... and so farewell.
But before I go,
I have just one more thing to tell you:
Something has spoken to me in the night,
burning the tapers of the waning year;
something has spoken in the night,
and told me I shall die,
I know not where.
Saying:
"To lose the earth you know, for greater knowing;
to lose the life you have, for greater life;
to leave the friends you loved, for greater loving;
to find a land more kind than home, more large than earth
Whereon the pillars of this earth are founded, toward which the conscience of the world is tending --a wind is rising, and the rivers flow."
I have many other treasured memories of Tom, some of which I will share with you via usps.
Jack M. Terry
Jack,
Your words mean so much to us. I can't thank you enough for your eloquence and total love you had for my dad.
Love,
Brynn
Dear Jan and family,
We were so saddened to hear of Tom's passing. We know how very much he will be missed by all of his family and everyone who knew him.
While Bruce and my contacts with Tom were often a long time between, we really enjoyed the time we did get to spend with him. I first knew Tom when we were students at Eastern Oregon. I remember one evening when a group of us decided to go somewhere for a drive, I no longer have a clue where, but Tom was going to drive. We were all a little surprised when he came to pick us up in an old panel truck with no real seating area. While I don't remember where we were going, I do remember Tom's humor and sense of adventure making the evening one to remember.
It seems that most of our memories of Tom were ones of humor. After hearing of Tom's passing, I shared with Bob and Sharon that one of the most enjoyable evenings I remember spending with him was a simple one of all of us playing cards together. It was a beautiful, warm summer day and evening in the Gulf Islands at Ganges. After tourning the town, we found a shaded place to set up for a game of gin rummy. How we ever let Tom and Bruce sit next to each other is a mystery, as the two of them had been playfully bantering with each other the whole trip. Illustrated by the fact that Jan and I always had to be prepared to hold on tight while riding in the boats, because we never knew when Tom and Bruce would decide to engage in their own boat drag races; usually instigated by Tom. Anyway, the card game went fine until, Bruce, who Tom accused of being a terrible discarder, made the mistake of tossing another worthless card to Tom and saying, "Isn't that just precious." Big mistake! Because Tom ran with it and nicknamed Bruce "precious" for the rest of the trip. I can think of a lot of endearing words for Bruce but precious just never comes to mind. As the evening wore on, the pub across the water began playing music. Tom was determined that he and "precious" should go dancing with or without the rest of us. There are few times in life that I remember laughing as hard as I did that night.
There are other memories, including the time we spent with him at Brooke's wedding, that we will hold dear, but it was the simple times like that evening that are our favorite. He was always fun to be with, and we will dearly miss him and his intoxicating humor.
I would also like to share this poem with you, as it has always been comforing to me.
Do not stnd at my grave and weep.
I am not there I do not sleep.
I am a thousands winds that blow.
I am the diamond glint on snow.
I am the sunlight on ripened grain.
I am the gentle autumn rain.
When you awaken in the morning
hush,
I am the swift upligting rush
Of quiet bird in quiet flight.
I am the soft stars that shine
at night.
Do not stand by my grave and cry.
I am not there. I did not die.
Thinking of all of you,
Patti and Bruce Meeuwsen and family
It was obvious how very much Big Guy loved his family and how much you all loved him. I remember laughing and having a great time at his house a few times through the college years with Ryan and Meg. You all are a living legacy of his spirit and life. My prayers are with you during this difficult time.
The Wildwood Community is thinking and praying for you all during this difficult time!
Glenn Malone
Dear Jan and Family,
God's continued grace to you and the family.
What a pleasure it was to know Tom in so many different settings--the cabin, working Transportation at the Puyallup Fair, a card player, being part of his "breakfast club", on the boat. camping and getting to work beside a master carpenter.
He was a master at listening to people as demonstated by his humorous one liners that dovetailed so well with the last comments made. He saw the world as a place to be enjoyed and he loved to share that joy with others.
The big reason for taking a job at the fair was knowing that Tom was going to be there. The highlight of "working" with Tom at the fair
was getting his perceptions to the three ring circus behind the grandstand.
Doing church rennovation projects with Tom was an uplifting experience. He would look at the task at hand, take out his tape measure and immediatly start building....he was always patient this gofer who was always ten or more steps behind. I swear he wore 3-D glasses that permitted him to see the big picture--not only in building but in life.
He was a natural for being able to span the generations; he was comfortable with people of any age. Our children would often ask about Tom.
How he loved, cherished, and adored his family. You people were the center of his life of which he was so proud. He enjoyed and accepted the differences of each family member and loved to keep us posted about family happenings.
What a pleasure it was to watch the affection between Tom and you, Jan.
Our family will always remember Tom and his gentle nature...
Gene and Dot
Dear Cami and Family~
All I think when I think of Tom is seeing him with Cami, Brian and their boys and what an amazing love they all have for eachother. I'm not sure if I have ever seen such a close relationship with a daughter and her father as I did with Cami and Tom and really, the hwole family.
He seemed to LOVE being a grandpa and played the role so well! Every soccer game I went to, Tom was chearing the boys on and at Luigi's first birthday party, while all of the adults were sitting around visiting, Tom was out playing frisby with the kids.
Although I don't have stories of my own to tell, I can hear Cami telling us so many about her Dad.
What an amazing man with a huge heart....God is so lucky to have him sitting with Him now!
My heart hurts for your loss and
I pray that the hurt will soon be replaced with joyful memories of Big Guy! You are all in my prayers...
Karly
For those in your family who know me, you know I have a rather long waiting period (like forever in most cases) before I feel comfortable calling somebody by his nickname. So, because I only knew Tom for a little more than a year, I always called him Tom.
In fact, because I never heard an explanation for the nickname Big Guy, it baffled me at first. He was the first “Big Guy” I met who wasn’t at least 6-foot-5.
But even from my outside perspective the name quickly made sense. The impact he had on you guys wasn’t just big it was huge. For me, somebody who admires your family, one of the things that impressed me most about Tom was the way you guys talked about him.
I remember hanging out with Brian and Cami the night they moved into their new house. As we were rehashing all the backbreaking labor, Cami started talking about how awesome Big Guy was. I remember thinking, first, how cool is it that she calls her dad Big Guy. Second, how cool is it that she appreciates him and doesn’t take him for granted. And third, how cool is it that she talks to other people about her dad this way.
Someday I hope my kids talk that way about me.
Tom was genuine, he was loved, he was caring and he definitely lived up to his nickname.
"Big Guy" was the All-American Dad. We have loved Tom since the first day we met him. It was apparent that when you become friends with Brian & Cami, you get "Big Guy" too. We loved being around Tom and Jan - because they always cared about us. They made us feeel loved and important. They valued genuine friendships. We will always remember Big Guy as #1 Dad, and #1 Grandpa. He showed up to everything that was important to his family. He found enjoyment in everything he did. He provided a source of inspiration, encouragement, and acceptance to all of those around him. Tom was a one-in-a-million and will be forever missed.
Bob said...
Dear Jan, Brynn, Cami, Brian, Meg, Ryan, and Matt,
Tom was a man with many friends and he had the ability to sustain those friendships over many years. Kathy and I first met Tom thirty years ago when we began attending First Presbyterian Church and became involved in the church youth group. We are indebted to Brynn, Cami and Megan. They were the catalyst for the long relationship that in many ways was right out of Samuel Clemens, The Adventures of Tom Sawyer. He even had the right name. Tell us if this short passage delivered by Aunt Polly doesn’t fit Tom.
“His aunt Polly stood surprised a moment, and then broke into a gentle laugh. Hang the boy, can’t I never learn anything? Ain’t he played me tricks enough like that for me to be looking out for him by this time? But old fools is the biggest fools there is. Can’t learn an old dog new tricks, as the saying is. But my goodness, he never plays them alike, two days, and how is a body to know what’s coming? He ‘pears to know just how long he can torment me before I get my dander up, and he knows if he can make out to put me off for a minute or make me laugh, it’s all down again and I can’t hit him a lick.”
Tom and I shared many adventures together over the years. I remember the time we road our bikes all over the San Juan Islands with the Church youth group and Tom and I brought Jack Terry back laid out in the back of my Van because he fell and banged up his head. We were mad at Jack because the blackberries were ripe and we had to stop eating them along the bike route and tend to the damaged church pastor. Tom also talked Dick Smith and I into sneaking out of camp and going down to the Tavern in Friday Harbor to have a beer after a long days ride with the kids.
There was the time Kathy, Jan, Tom, and I took our boats down to Lake Shasta in Northern California and spent two weeks exploring all the nooks and crannies on the lake. It was so hot that we spent all day floating on the lake to stay cool then went back to our campers in the late afternoon and played cards all night or until Kathy fell asleep.
It was Tom and I against Kathy and Jan . We always won because Tom would make Gin and Tonics and he would give the girls a little added nip too help them think better. In the morning Tom would always tell me I will meet you at the designated destination on one of the many spurs to Lake Shasta and roar off leaving me in his wake. In those days his boat was faster than mine and he enjoyed that. One day we walked up to the store and the clerk told us to be careful because there was a bear in camp. So we came back and told the girls about the bear and they didn’t believe us and said we are going to the store and get some bacon for breakfast and we will take the dogs and we will be right back. They didn’t believe us because Tom liked to play tricks. It wasn’t five minutes until they came running back yelling that a bear was coming down the road.
One year Tom and Jan talked Kathy and I into taking our boats up to Lewiston, Idaho and launching them in the Snake river. We came back down the Snake River into the Columbia River and going all the way to Astoria at the mouth of the Columbia. Bryan and Cami followedt us to Lewiston and took our trucks and trailers back to Puyallup. They met us two weeks later in Kalama where we returned to haul the boats out. We pretended that we were Lewis and Clark and Jan and Kathy were Sacajawea and Pocahontas. We went through seven Locks and seven dams as we came down the rivers. We scared Jan and Kathy and ourselves when we ran into ten foot waves caused by the wind in the gorge by Hood river. After that Tom said he was going to lead and he lead us into the rocks and ruined our props. We stopped and Tom applied a temporary fix by hammering the dents and nicks out. We had to stop and wait for some new props shipped out of Portland so we got motel rooms and played cards and once again Tom fixed Gin and Tonics so Jan and Kathy could think better and Tom and I could win.
I eventually put a bigger engine in my boat so I could go as fast as Tom. We raced each other out on Puget Sound and I lightened my boat up so I could go a little faster. Tom sold his boat and got one that was faster. Kathy wouldn’t let me get a faster boat.
One year I took Tom fishing up north of Vancouver Island on my boat. It was fogged in and Tom asked me if we were lost. I said no and told him to keep watching the radar scope and please tell me if we were going to get hit by any ships. He asked me if we were having fun yet. Just then we came out of the fog bank so I said yes.
I can’t tell you how many times Tom and I ate lunch or breakfast together. It was a lot. Every new event stimulated a lunch or breakfast. We talked about our kids and our wives and the past and the future and the next adventure. I new how much he loved his family because of those meetings and how proud he was of all of you. I new how excited he was about his new grandsons Luigi , Heiner, and Kai. He was looking forward to the birth of Meg and Cami’s twins. Tom convinced me I should work with him at the Fair one year and that was an adventure because we chaperoned all the entertainers in and out. We were taking about buying and old car and doing “The Old Car Race’ across the United States. We hadn’t figured out who was going to buy the car but that was going to be our next great adventure.
Kathy and I will miss Tom being in our lives. I considered him to be one of my best friends. He was a special and unique person.
Post a Comment