Dear Stacey, Tom and Cindy,
Lin and I are stunned and saddened by Tom's passing. He truly was a great guy to know and a great person to be related to. There are so many good words to describe him, however, I never thought I would have to do it this soon. I could always count on Tom for advice on how to fix a problem with my house or any type of remodeling problem. At the end of the conversation, after I thanked him for his help, his reply was always the same: "Hey, any time, cuz."
There are so many memories of the good times we had. Early in my life, my brothers and I would hang out with Tom, Ray and Jimmy in his parents' basement, shooting pool or playing basketball in the playground across the road. Later on, after the swimming pool was installed, we spent many Sunday afternoons sitting around drinking and enjoying everyone's company. After that, when he needed help with one of his contracting jobs, he hired me and we spent quite a few days together remodeling homes in Lower Merion. I learned a lot from him in those days, mainly how to be patient and not force things that would not fit or to carry too much weight. One of his best sayings was "I can fix a wall if we make a hole, I can fix a window if we break it but I can't fix a back." We also had a lot of fun playing ice hockey every Sunday for a few years.
More importantly, I have to echo what everyone else has said about him. No matter how tough times were for him, I never saw him in a bad mood, discouraged or angry. He always had that same pleasant disposition, that easy going attitude. I often said to myself, I wish I had his personality. Always smiling, always in a good mood like he didn't have a care in the world. I know he is in a better place now. May he rest in eternal peace.