Sheila,
I am so sorry to hear about Tom. Give him my best. He's a fighter so I'm sure
he'll pull through....taking names and kicking butt on the way!
I will always remember how Tom took me in when I needed it. He was my father
(and role model)for a couple of years when I really needed it. I will always
be indebted to him.
Another thing I will always remember is when I got my first real camera. It
was Tom's 50th birthday. We went out to lunch and I took his picture (I can't
find it- or you know it would be on my website) You know, I couldn't help
thinking how old he looked! Gray hair, extra skin under the chin, too much
gut....you know - all those old man features. Well time can be real cruel as
it turns the tables on all of us. I will be 50 on May 6th. I look at pictures
of me today and think back to that picture of Tom. Always. I haven't taken
that photo of Tom in years, but its memory, along with my memories of life at
the Leavey's, always sticks with me. Attached is a picture from about a month
ago taken in our factory in Beijing, China showing this old man!
If you can share these pictures of my family with Tom, so he can catch up. We
are just about where he was when I first met him.
http://www.puttgarden.com/family/
I think I found a new hobby business in China. Look through these pages and
see the statues, vases, carvings etc. I found. I bought them for 10 cents on
the dollar and will try and import and resell them. Stay tuned.
http://www.puttgarden.com/family/dad/china-feb-mar-2006/Page.htm
Phil
-----Original Message-----
From: simonds-mfg@earthlink.net [mailto:simonds-mfg@earthlink.net]
Sent: Thursday, March 30, 2006 8:14 AM
To: pdh@zircarceramics.com
Subject: Tom
Tom had by pass surgery 2 months ago and he is having some complications. His
heart is not beating a regular beat---irregular heart beat. He will be having
a procedure on April 14. They will be stopping his heart and then they will
shock it into a restart mode and hopefully it will begin to beat in a regular
pattern. I was hoping that you would jot down some memories of "good times"
you had with Tom and send them on to him. I know he would love to read them.
He always speaks so highly of you and he always appreciates the pictures and
emails you send to him. He seems to be having a really hard time right now
and the death of 2 of his sons seems to weigh very heavily on him at this time
of the year. He really misses Michael whose birthday is May 2. He doesn't seem
to miss Mark as much because of the horrible things Mark did to his father
before he died----but Marks birthday would be April 11. I hope you are not
offended by my remarks but I am so very very concerned about my wonderful
Tom. Hope all is well with you and your beautiful family. If you are in
touch with any of the other"boys" that knew Tom and Kay would you please tell
them about his health issues. Thanks Sheila