Thanks for all the good memories Tom. You were always generous, kind, fun loving, and a little bit CRAZY ( the only person I ever rode with, who could consistently scare me without even trying!) Every time I come to La Grande and drive down Cove Avenue I always smile while thinking of you. Oh, what I would give for one more of those rides!
Tom was a 2nd cousin on my dad's side of the family. Had some good times as kids in the 50's, fishing, swimming in a pond near his house. After high school I ran into him in Portland in the late 60's, he was helicopter pilot (took after his dad) in my Guard unit. So I got to fly with him once a month on a weekend. We also had a few nights out partying. He was killed doing what he like best..flying..killed fighting a forest fire in Montana I belive.
Oh Tommy -- I will never forget when you broke up with me and broke my heart at the Magazine dance in the 7th grade. I remember Mr. Lily consolling me and my tears in the gym's bleachers. I couldn't blame you though, because I was wearing a hideous undershirt under my turtle neck sweater which sat atop an alarming felt, down to the ankle, piece of crap skirt that my mom cut out at the last minute. After our breakup, we continued to be very close friends and I also considered your mom as a second mom. She was always so kind, as were you. You had been the best of friends to many. I remember when you visited Cody and I in Kent, WA. Without my knowing it, you stocked our kitchen with all kinds of food and necessaties, and then you left. After hearing of your passing on, I was absolutely devastated -- you had survived so much up till then. I wrote a letter to your mom, Lenore, expressing my deepest sorrow and sympathy. It was the hardest thing that I'd ever had to do. I missed you intensely and I still do. Am grateful to have had your friendship.
First let me say that I AlWAYS felt safe with Tom at the wheel...even on the third spin at 75 MPH...or 50 feet above the Grande Ronde River screaming "Sky King" in his parents Beach Craft Bonanza. Tom truly was an adrenalin junky. Most of our adventures can't be put into writing here...I think there are laws governing that.
At the time of Tom's accident (he was logging with a helicopter), he was married and had two sons. The last I heard they are in Texas.
Tom and Nels Tarter were at the hospital when our oldest daughter Shannon was born...I was home sleeping. They brought Irene flowers. Tom carried a picture of Shannon in his wallet, throughout the entire time he was in Viet Nam. He was "Uncle Tom."
It was a wild and wonderful time, and Tom was a wild and wonderful friend. He is thought of and talked about often.
When I started 6th grade, we had moved to Cove Avenue and he was our neighbor. Every time my Mom made Chile & scone, he'd smell them across the pasture and be the 1st at the table. He called mom from Texas to get her recipe for Chile so he could make some for his wife Nita. My brother mike flew down with Lenore and was Toms best man at his wedding. I recall them getting into a huge fight for the way Tom was treating her, and he soon cleaned up his act. I think I had a crush on Tom the first time I saw him changing sprinkler pipe in the pasture. My husband Dave went to grade school and was best friends with him forever. Every time he was on leave, he came to our house the minute he hit town. Dave & I cried that night of April 19, 1979 when we got the call from Lenore that he had been killed that day in a logging accident. He hadn't even been the pilot. He had rejected the log they were trying to pick up on the previous day, but the guy piloting thought he knew better......guess not!! We think of Tom and his antics often..we will love him til the day we die. Tom was either your friend for life..or he just didn't associate with you....I wonder if Chuck ever rode a tractor with Tom...or across Dooley Mountain in that Turquoise Corvair of his???? I'll ask him at the reunion...
This is about Tom from my husband Dave. When we first bought the ranch, we had a mobile home and one fine morning we heard this horrible sound and thought we were having an earthquake. It was very early in the morning and we had been woken up, and in our younger years we slept ala bare...when I ran outdoors, Dave had seen the skids of the helicopter and stopped, but not me.....Tom and his crew got an eyefull, and he chuckled about it each time we got together....forever the prankster....
I guess it's kind of hard even today for me to put into words the relationship Tom and I had. We first met when we moved to cove avenue in 1958. He was driving his dad's case tractor and when I came up he stopped and jumped off the tractor and hit me in the nose. I got up and hit him back and he said Hi I'm Tom Hewett, what's yours. We were the best of friends even whenever we were apart. As Chuck said earlier, If the police could see some of the antics we did together, we would still be locked up. He always managed to have a spare set of keys to his parents cars. I have so many stories to tell that I could probably write a best seller, from our time in Las Vegas and Palm Springs, parties at his house when his parents were gone, some of the hilarious birthday parties of either him or his parents. His mother Lenore was my second Mom in fact the last time I saw her was at my parents 60th wedding anniversary at senior center. That was just before people close to her know what happened. I talked to Nita when I lived in Texas and she brought her 2 boy's with her when she visited up here. Zac the oldest one looks just like Tom. Gabriel the youngest looks more like Nita's side of the Family. The last time I saw Tom was when he was on his way to Darby, Montana where he had his accicent. We met in a lounge in Portland and had a couple drinks then went out to my house and he had to leave the next day. I can still remember his favorite saying RAT @^#^()*%$#@. Deleen and Dave remembers.
Tom was a dear friend. I first met him while attending Mr. Lily's and Mrs. Spear's sixth grade class at Willow Elementary. I started that year late. I transferred from Island City just in time for basketball. As is normal with kids nobody wanted to be my friend except for Tom. He was nice to me from day one and we remained friends all through school. He was a very smart nice person. I am one of the guys that was scared to death to ride anything with him at the wheel. the only way to operated with him was to pretend you were not afraid. If he thought you were frightened he would turn on the after burners. I was very saddened to learn of his tragic death. I truly miss him.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Tom's parents. It is not hard to understand where Tom learned his generosity and kindness. His parents always treated me great.
Bev Willis (1963)
Thanks for all the good memories Tom. You were always generous, kind, fun loving, and a little bit CRAZY ( the only person I ever rode with, who could consistently scare me without even trying!) Every time I come to La Grande and drive down Cove Avenue I always smile while thinking of you. Oh, what I would give for one more of those rides!
Bev Willis
Larry McCraw (1965)
Tom was a 2nd cousin on my dad's side of the family. Had some good times as kids in the 50's, fishing, swimming in a pond near his house. After high school I ran into him in Portland in the late 60's, he was helicopter pilot (took after his dad) in my Guard unit. So I got to fly with him once a month on a weekend. We also had a few nights out partying. He was killed doing what he like best..flying..killed fighting a forest fire in Montana I belive.
Candy Howard (Brooks) (1965)
Oh Tommy -- I will never forget when you broke up with me and broke my heart at the Magazine dance in the 7th grade. I remember Mr. Lily consolling me and my tears in the gym's bleachers. I couldn't blame you though, because I was wearing a hideous undershirt under my turtle neck sweater which sat atop an alarming felt, down to the ankle, piece of crap skirt that my mom cut out at the last minute. After our breakup, we continued to be very close friends and I also considered your mom as a second mom. She was always so kind, as were you. You had been the best of friends to many. I remember when you visited Cody and I in Kent, WA. Without my knowing it, you stocked our kitchen with all kinds of food and necessaties, and then you left. After hearing of your passing on, I was absolutely devastated -- you had survived so much up till then. I wrote a letter to your mom, Lenore, expressing my deepest sorrow and sympathy. It was the hardest thing that I'd ever had to do. I missed you intensely and I still do. Am grateful to have had your friendship.
Chuck Kornegay (1964)
First let me say that I AlWAYS felt safe with Tom at the wheel...even on the third spin at 75 MPH...or 50 feet above the Grande Ronde River screaming "Sky King" in his parents Beach Craft Bonanza. Tom truly was an adrenalin junky. Most of our adventures can't be put into writing here...I think there are laws governing that.
At the time of Tom's accident (he was logging with a helicopter), he was married and had two sons. The last I heard they are in Texas.
Tom and Nels Tarter were at the hospital when our oldest daughter Shannon was born...I was home sleeping. They brought Irene flowers. Tom carried a picture of Shannon in his wallet, throughout the entire time he was in Viet Nam. He was "Uncle Tom."
It was a wild and wonderful time, and Tom was a wild and wonderful friend. He is thought of and talked about often.
Deleen Sanderson (Wyland) (1965)
When I started 6th grade, we had moved to Cove Avenue and he was our neighbor. Every time my Mom made Chile & scone, he'd smell them across the pasture and be the 1st at the table. He called mom from Texas to get her recipe for Chile so he could make some for his wife Nita. My brother mike flew down with Lenore and was Toms best man at his wedding. I recall them getting into a huge fight for the way Tom was treating her, and he soon cleaned up his act. I think I had a crush on Tom the first time I saw him changing sprinkler pipe in the pasture. My husband Dave went to grade school and was best friends with him forever. Every time he was on leave, he came to our house the minute he hit town. Dave & I cried that night of April 19, 1979 when we got the call from Lenore that he had been killed that day in a logging accident. He hadn't even been the pilot. He had rejected the log they were trying to pick up on the previous day, but the guy piloting thought he knew better......guess not!! We think of Tom and his antics often..we will love him til the day we die. Tom was either your friend for life..or he just didn't associate with you....I wonder if Chuck ever rode a tractor with Tom...or across Dooley Mountain in that Turquoise Corvair of his???? I'll ask him at the reunion...
Deleen Sanderson (Wyland) (1965)
This is about Tom from my husband Dave. When we first bought the ranch, we had a mobile home and one fine morning we heard this horrible sound and thought we were having an earthquake. It was very early in the morning and we had been woken up, and in our younger years we slept ala bare...when I ran outdoors, Dave had seen the skids of the helicopter and stopped, but not me.....Tom and his crew got an eyefull, and he chuckled about it each time we got together....forever the prankster....
Michael Sanderson (1963)
I guess it's kind of hard even today for me to put into words the relationship Tom and I had. We first met when we moved to cove avenue in 1958. He was driving his dad's case tractor and when I came up he stopped and jumped off the tractor and hit me in the nose. I got up and hit him back and he said Hi I'm Tom Hewett, what's yours. We were the best of friends even whenever we were apart. As Chuck said earlier, If the police could see some of the antics we did together, we would still be locked up. He always managed to have a spare set of keys to his parents cars. I have so many stories to tell that I could probably write a best seller, from our time in Las Vegas and Palm Springs, parties at his house when his parents were gone, some of the hilarious birthday parties of either him or his parents. His mother Lenore was my second Mom in fact the last time I saw her was at my parents 60th wedding anniversary at senior center. That was just before people close to her know what happened. I talked to Nita when I lived in Texas and she brought her 2 boy's with her when she visited up here. Zac the oldest one looks just like Tom. Gabriel the youngest looks more like Nita's side of the Family. The last time I saw Tom was when he was on his way to Darby, Montana where he had his accicent. We met in a lounge in Portland and had a couple drinks then went out to my house and he had to leave the next day. I can still remember his favorite saying RAT @^#^()*%$#@. Deleen and Dave remembers.
Ted Moore (1964)
Tom was a dear friend. I first met him while attending Mr. Lily's and Mrs. Spear's sixth grade class at Willow Elementary. I started that year late. I transferred from Island City just in time for basketball. As is normal with kids nobody wanted to be my friend except for Tom. He was nice to me from day one and we remained friends all through school. He was a very smart nice person. I am one of the guys that was scared to death to ride anything with him at the wheel. the only way to operated with him was to pretend you were not afraid. If he thought you were frightened he would turn on the after burners. I was very saddened to learn of his tragic death. I truly miss him.
I would also like to express my gratitude to Tom's parents. It is not hard to understand where Tom learned his generosity and kindness. His parents always treated me great.