Monday, January 29, 2018
Tom was my oldest friend. We met at age four in Montesano when I fell from a plum tree and looked up to see a red-headed, freckle-faced kid with a big smile staring at me.
For the next three years we were as close as brothers and shared everything; toys, comic books, hobbies (we both collected stamps) and mischief. Tom was an only child and, from my childhood point of view, a spoiled kid, but I still liked him. We fought ant colonies, threw rocks, terrorized the neighborhood kids and came to understand that we would always remain friends despite our differences in temperament and upbringing and the fact that Tom had a red-heads temper!! It always frustrated him that I would laugh at him when he got really mad.
Our years as neighbors ended in 1953 when my family moved to a rural area outside of Montesano but Tom and I remained friends. As the years unfolded and we developed disparate interests (I was in to athletics but Tom's only athletic interest was golf) we still remained close. We both enjoyed participating in Montesano's Concert Band. We each played saxophone (Tom alto & I Tenor) and we got to sit by two of the prettiest girls in the whole band! A non-earned benefit of which we were quite proud.
After High School (I graduated in 1964 and Tom in 1965 even though there was only 2 1/2 months difference in our ages) we both attended Grays Harbor College. Tom eventually graduated from St. Martins and I from Central Washington.
Teaching and coaching eventually took me to Alaska whereas Tom settled into a job with the State in Olympia. Never-the-less, we remained in contact. I married at age 21 and my wife and I raised three children. Tom was married much later and had a single child, his daughter Leah.
We both remained collectors and Tom's interests turned, in particular, to guns. He became an expert, appreciating his 2nd amendment rights and was a "crack" shot with rifle or pistol.
Tom was also a "dog" lover. From the boxers (Nikki and Pepe) in his parents home as a child, to his beloved Jack Russell (Beanie) Tom was never without a dog. He was a kind and nurturing pet owner and would go to any lengths to assure that his pets were properly cared for. In return they gave him countless hours of companionship and joy.
Tom was a very bright guy and he prospered in his profession and invested wisely. He was proud of his family and of his home. As the years passed however, circumstances changed in his life and he succumbed to the plague of alcoholism which had devastated many members of his family. It was a demon that he battled for many years.
During that time, however, Tom also came to believe in Jesus Christ as his Savior and redeemer. Some of the very best moments in his later years where time spent with other believers in faith and fellowship.
It was difficult to see Tom's health and stamina fading in recent years as he succumbed to the demons of addiction but we remained close and I will always appreciate the boy I knew and the kind, eccentric, loyal and generous man that he became.
I will miss him greatly.
Darrel White
Montesano, wa
