These words by Bill Pook:
My thoughts on a dear friend who I
will really miss.
With Tom you always felt you were
meeting an old friend whether you had
known him for 6 weeks or 60 years. In his company you felt comforted,
you had an ally because he really listened . We had many philosophical
and theological conversations going to gigs where answers were never
evident....Tom’s response? It’s a bugger and make no mistake. Yes
Tom, it is a bugger and you were no mistake. Wherever you be, mate, I
know the sun shines on you.
By Brenda Yates:
Tom was a good friend. Not
intrusive, happy to be called on when
needed for a bit of moral support or advice, always prepared to offer
an ear. His kindness, wry humour and wisdom will, I hope, stay
with me for a long time yet. He was a good friend to Northwich
Folk Club too. He preferred to keep in the background, but was a rock
solid support to the club, quietly taking on whatever jobs came his
way, and always the voice of reason. It’s been a great privilege
to know him.
By Dave Ball:
Tom's way was the warm kind voice of
Cornish reason: a pause and then a
considered quietly-smiling response. It gives me enormous
pleasure to recall his voice and his keyboard playing in the centre of
the back row of Madcap. Not one to push himself forward to the
front, but you paid attention when he wanted to be heard.
Impossible to forgot him.
By Ailsa Booth:
I will always think of Tom as a kind,
generous and wise friend who was
such a good listener. Tom had the ability to offer help and advice in
his own way when I really needed it - sometimes this would be delivered
with a teasing humour that was just right!
Tom had a love of many kinds of music
and I cherish the memory of the
times when we played and sang together, whether it was classical, folk
or the old standards which we both loved. I just wish we’d had more
time. I was very lucky to have Tom as a friend ... and I’m going to
miss him enormously.
By John Booth:
Tom would have laughed at anyone who
said he was wise but that’s how I
think of him. You see, Tom would always seem to take a breath (and a
thought) before he spoke, and so he rarely said anything that wasn’t
considered and, without doubt, worth listening to. The other side to
this of course was that Tom listened. I will miss him for the many
conversations we never got round to having. I will miss him for his
wink and understanding smile. I’ll miss him because he was Tom and he
was a good person to know.