It seems unreal to write these words, but Tom passed away last night. We met with the neurologist in the afternoon and his EEG was slightly worse than Monday. We had come to the realization that it was time to let him go; we actually think he left this world days before and was probably wondering why we were hovering around his broken-down body. His body started the process for us- his blood pressure dropped and his heart gave out. He died a little before 9:00pm.
His was definitely a life worth celebrating so we are going to give ourselves a little time together and then start planning a memorial/party. At this point we are thinking several weeks out, depending on what facilities would be available and when, etc. We will definitely keep you posted via email and this blog. If you have any good ideas for the proper send-off for him, let us know.
The unreal part of this is that we know Tom won't be walking through the door. The real part of it is that we knew he pushed his body to the limit (and had a great time doing it)- we feel like we were given a great gift of 15 years with him since it was just good luck that he made it through his first bout with lung cancer in 1992. We know he had a very difficult road ahead of him if had pulled out of this. He most likely had a new primary tumor in his lung which resulted in the brain cancer and he would have been very compromised from suffering through pneumonia. The life he most likely faced would have been one he would not have wanted to live.
We thank you for all your thoughts and prayers. We felt them and we know he did too. We truly appreciate all the offers to help by bringing food, etc. but at this time we have more food than we can eat. The best thing for us right now is the peace, comfort and strength that we gather from our wonderful family and friends. Thank you for this gift and your gift of friendship to Tom- he loved you all!
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3 comments:
We are so saddened to hear of Tom's death. I was quite fearful when Herb came home from the Chapel Board meeting to tell me the pastor and Jeff had to leave the meeting early to get to the hospital. Again I am shocked by how quickly things changed. I spoke with Tom only a little over a week ago and he seemed so optimistic and positive. But that was him, wasn't it. We will miss him. Mary Ann & Herb McLachlan
Teddi, Jennifer and Tim,
We feel so lucky to have had the opportunity to know and love Tom. He was a tremendous spirit and great example of how life is to be lived, with joy, love and respect. If a man’s life is measured by the family he raises and the friends that he keeps, then Tom’s can not be topped.
I will be forever grateful to your family for taking me in and giving me food, shelter and guidance when I needed it most. Tom always joked about what I owed him for staying over, $39.00 per night by easily a thousand nights, he never presented me with the bill. I hope he knew, that I feel I received more from him than any money could repay. I feel it is truly a testament to Tom’s kind and generous nature, which is exemplified in his children and grandchildren.
Brooke, Kyer, Emery and I were so glad to see Tom a couple of weeks ago. He showed no signs of how he was feeling other than simply happy to see us.
Tom is remembered fondly
Teddi, I am so sorry to hear of Tom's passing. You are right to say that you had 15 years of happiness with him and I know he appreciated every minute of it with you and the rest of his adoring family. I just wanted to let you all know that I wa thinking about you at this time. All my prayers, Martha
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