Ned Asplundh
10-23-2006, 04:46 PM
The following is an extract from the next issue of the Delaware River Chapter - TSCA's newsletter, Mainsheet, written by our editor, Mike Wick. We thought that WB forumites would like to know:
I have some sad news. Just as I was working on a review of Tom Jone's book, New Plywood Boats, John Guidera telephoned to tell me that Tom had died.
Tom had been sick, but he was always so cheerful and appeared to be getting better. Jean and I had just been over to their house for a lovely lunch with Tom and Carol in Tuckahoe the week before.
He had told us he had recently had a couple of strokes; I naturally assumed he would be around for a long time yet. He was only seventy two. But it was not to be.
Friday afternoon, October 20, Carol came home from work and found him dead; she thought he had passed at about noon. That fits my image of Tom; he would not have wanted a lot of fuss.
It is hard to summarize such a larger-than-life character; shared interests was just beginning to bring us together. I could tell of his four books that have given such pleasure to our whole community. I could tell of the beautiful boats he conceived and executed that became such treasures to people like us. I could tell of the six transatlantic voyages in boats he designed and built himself. Quite a number of achievements, but they only serve to show his integrity and passion for small boats.
Tom was a loyal member of the TSCA. He and Carol often hosted meetings at their home and came to our annual Messabouts when they didn't conflict with El Toro races.
I wish we had had more time, but I am glad for the time we had.
###
I have some sad news. Just as I was working on a review of Tom Jone's book, New Plywood Boats, John Guidera telephoned to tell me that Tom had died.
Tom had been sick, but he was always so cheerful and appeared to be getting better. Jean and I had just been over to their house for a lovely lunch with Tom and Carol in Tuckahoe the week before.
He had told us he had recently had a couple of strokes; I naturally assumed he would be around for a long time yet. He was only seventy two. But it was not to be.
Friday afternoon, October 20, Carol came home from work and found him dead; she thought he had passed at about noon. That fits my image of Tom; he would not have wanted a lot of fuss.
It is hard to summarize such a larger-than-life character; shared interests was just beginning to bring us together. I could tell of his four books that have given such pleasure to our whole community. I could tell of the beautiful boats he conceived and executed that became such treasures to people like us. I could tell of the six transatlantic voyages in boats he designed and built himself. Quite a number of achievements, but they only serve to show his integrity and passion for small boats.
Tom was a loyal member of the TSCA. He and Carol often hosted meetings at their home and came to our annual Messabouts when they didn't conflict with El Toro races.
I wish we had had more time, but I am glad for the time we had.
###