 Timeline |
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| Tom's time line all in one |
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On January 29, 1979, in Libby, a small town in the Northwest corner of Montana, the most beautiful baby was born that anyone wanted to see. His parents were Howard and Diane Johnson. They named this perfect baby boy Thomas Richard Johnson. He was named after his two grandfathers Thomas Surman and Richard Johnson. Thomas came home on the third day of his entrance to the world. He came home to three waiting and very proud big sisters, Barbara, Martha and Dalene.
Thomas later known as Tommy or Tom was a very good baby and when he would get up for his nightly feedings everyone including daddy would get up to watch Tommy eat. Each of his sisters was right they’re to help out with him and all three were ever so proud to have a baby brother. Martha was the first sister to give Tommy a bath. She was so proud of herself that evening and she did a great job.
Tommy had a very loving family not only from his loving parents and sisters but also with his Grandma Dorothy. She was at the hospital when Tommy was born. What a proud grandmother she was she even cried when Tommy was born and was very proud when she found out that we were going to name our son after his grandfathers. Grandma Bobbi and Grandpa Joel were so proud of Tommy and Grandpa Joel would always call Tommy his “Charlie Brown”.
Tommy seemed to grow so fast that before we knew it he was 4 years old. His sister Martha was having some kind of event at school and she wanted to bring her little brother. So we agreed as it was only for three hours. Well believe me a lot happened in those three hours. So much happened that I’m sure that some of those teachers are still talking about Tommy’s visit. It seems that Martha and her friends had him do what they never would dare to do.
Tommy loved living in Libby he had all kinds of childhood friends. We lived just across the field from his cousins T.J (now known as Tim), Bobbie and Misty. He and T.J. would spend hours riding their bikes. They loved raiding the neighbor’s gardens in the summertime and riding their bikes up and down the hills in the back forest. Tommy also spent a lot of time visiting his cousins Chris and Teddy. He would love to stay at his aunt and uncles so that he could spend time with them. Even when Chris and Teddy were in their wheelchairs Tommy would love going to his aunt and uncles so that he help with the boys’ needs. Tommy, Chris and Teddy never let the wheelchairs get in the way of having fun. Tommy’s Uncle Ted would wonder how come the boys tires always needed repair little did Uncle Ted know but it was the boys doing wheely’s.
When Tommy started school he started at Plummer School in Libby. It was about the first grade that Tommy’s youngest sister got her first boyfriend Kevin Johnson. Kevin and Tommy clicked right away. Dalene and Kevin would even take him on their dates. By this time Tommy’s sister Barbara had moved out of the house, married and moved to North Dakota and soon after Tommy’s other oldest sister Martha moved to Cut Bank, MT and later married. After his two oldest sisters moved out he and his sister Dalene became very close and having Kevin as a older brother was a dream come true for him.
In 1986 Tommy moved to Auburn, Washington with his parents. He loved Washington and made friends very easy. He was enrolled at Gildra Ray Elementary School where he was in the second grade. Mrs. Kiel was one of his favorite teachers. One afternoon about 3:00 I came out of the kitchen and there sitting on our couch was this little Vietnamese boy. He was sitting there looking so frightened and not knowing what to do. Tommy was not home from school yet. I remember this little boy did not speak very good English but he and Tommy has a great relationship and Tommy never had any problem understanding him or any of this little boys family. I asked this little boy what he was doing here at Tommy’s house and he said, “I am here for Tommy’s birthday party” Tommy’s birthday was approaching with in the next few days and come to find out Tommy had arranged his own party! After I told the little boy that it was not Tommy’s birthday yet he got up and left.
Tommy was very active in school sports and sports outside of the school. When he was in the first through forth grades he wrestled and loved it. We always said that it must have been the contact sport of wrestling that Tommy enjoyed.
Tommy was very well known for his red wrestling shoes. The last match that Tommy wrestled in the coach informed him that he had to cut his tail off or else he couldn’t wrestle. So we painfully cut his tail off. After the matches were over we found out that the coaches son had a tail also and he was allowed to pin his tail up under the helmet that they had to wear. When Tommy wanted to pin his up the coach told him that he could not let him so we accepted it and cut the tail off. Once Tommy found out that the coach’s son was allowed to pin his tail up he quit wrestling. And that was the last time that Tommy cut his tail
After wrestling Tommy started getting serious about Football. He started playing for Auburn Jr. Football and loved every minute of playing. His coach’s said that Tommy was a great player and that he had great potential.
Tommy loved Washington and his friends were endless. After the games on Saturday’s we all would meet at the local pizza place and talk about the games and discuss how to improve our kids for the following Saturday’s game. Tommy’s games were always great fun to go to and ever so exciting. He had some great coaches while in Auburn Jr. Football and stayed in touch with a few of his old coaches after he became an adult. Coach Dan Harris was one of Tommy’s favorites and his wife Donna was always there to coach the cheerleaders on to help the teams to victory. Tommy was a very good football player and most of his teammates looked up to him.
Once the football season was over then it was time for Tommy to start basketball. He was a good basketball player as well as he was a football player and wrestler. He played school basketball and then in the early summer he and Robbie Ellis, one of his old school buddies, would go to the different parks and hustle basketball games.
Once school was out for the summer Tommy would go to Libby, Montana and spend a few weeks with his sister Dalene and Kevin and his uncle, aunt and cousins. Tommy always came back with lasting memories of the things that he did while in Libby. Sometimes his visits to Libby would come to an end much to fast but August was when football practices started and football was Tommy’s passion.
As Tommy started high school he met Tara Hardy. Tom and Tara were inseparable. They did everything together. In 1997 Tom and Tara were at a non-alcohol birthday party when six kids showed up that had been drinking. Tom was asked to go outside and ask the boys to leave the party. When he did as he was asked to do he was hit over the head with a 40oz full bottle of beer.
As Tara stood in the house and watched Tom get beat up and left for dead there was nothing that she could do but call 911. Tom under went a 6 1/2-hour surgery while the doctors repaired his skull. He remained in a coma for 4 days. Most of Tom’s family stayed by his bedside along with Tara. The over whelming support that Tom got from his friends was amazing. Everyday Tom’s friends would come to visit him by the dozens. The only way we could let these kids in to see Tom was by bringing them in by pairs.
Once Tom was out of the coma he was in the hospital for another 6 days. When Tom got home his recovery was fast for what he had been through. He was back in school within a few weeks though having to go through much therapy after school he still got to graduate with his class.
Tom and Tara did visit Tom’s older sister who lives in Missoula, Montana a few times once he got older. They would spend their time 4 wheeling, barbecuing and enjoying the outdoors in the Big Sky country
Tommy loved Libby, Montana (where he was born) but his real love was Washington where his family and friends were and where he grew up. He enjoyed his visits to Libby and Missoula and would say that it’s a great place to visit but there is much more to do right here at home.
While Tom was in high school he went to work for Always Welding as a high school trainee. His abilities in the welding field grew and Tom soon became a certified welder for Boeing. Tom and his boss Rob became ever-lasting friends. Rob was there for Tom all through the rehabilitation that Tom went through with his head injury. Tom and Rob looked forward to their yearly hunting trip to eastern Washington. They would pack up and load up Rob’s camper and away they would go for a week of deer and elk hunting. Don’t ever remember them getting anything but they always brought back some good old hunting stories. If I’m not mistaken I think that Tom was in charge of the bon fires and Rob was the bartender. Not sure who did the cooking. Tom and Rob seemed to get closer and closer over the years there wasn’t much that Rob didn’t know about Tom and there wasn’t much that Tom didn’t know about Rob. They were always there for one another and if and when one or the other would need a helping hand they other was there to help out.
Rob closed Always Welding down and moved to eastern Washington after that Tom and Rob didn’t talk as often but they did stay in touch.
August 9, 2003 Tom and Tara were married. What a storybook wedding that was. Tara was beautiful and Tom was ever so handsome. What more can mother say except the love Tom and Tara had for one another went unspoken as you could see the love in their eyes.
Kayleigh Nichole was born January 22, 2004. What a beautiful baby she was. Tom was so proud to be a father. Giving her first bath meant so much to Tom and made his bond with Kayleigh even greater. It was nothing to see Tom’s car pull into our driveway on any given day weather it be after work, or on a weekend. As Tom would get closer to the house we would see an extra head in the car it would be Tom’s little buddy Kayleigh. There wouldn’t be any reason they would come out just wanting to come out and spend some time with us until it was time for Tara to get off work. Tom had a special way of holding Kayleigh and Kayleigh always seemed so content in her Daddy’s arms. When it was Kayleigh’s bedtime Tom would always hold her on his chest until she went to sleep. They had a father/daughter bond that is imbedded in our minds forever.
Still to this day as I wear my locket with a picture of Tom in it Kayleigh will open that locket, say “Hi Daddy” then she will say “I Love You Daddy!” and every time she will whisper something into that locket that I cannot hear then kiss her daddy and close my locket. She will do that several times when I have that locket on.
As Tom held his precious Kayleigh for her first birthday. His smile could not be more loving. He celebrated Kayleigh’s first birthday which was the last birthday that he would spend with his beautiful daughter and 28 days later he and his best friend Kenny Brisby. Were canoeing at Lake Kapowsin when something went wrong and the canoe capsized. Tom and his best friend’s lives were lost.
Search and Rescue gave the family 43 hours before giving up the search. Then it was up to family and friends. For one solid month family and friends searched endlessly. Harry Oakes and his search dog Valerie came to Lake Kapowsin. Along with his partner Janna and her search dog Mocha from the Portland area after hearing our pleas for help on television. As they searched, they found two death scents but his finding fell on deaf ears when it came time for Pierce County.
After going to the media several times with each time a story would go in the papers, Pierce County would only then take their dogs back out into the lake. Each time family and friends would watch the county dogs react to something in the water but no one doing anything about it. One month to the day Kenny surfaced and his body was retrieved from the cold murky waters of Lake Kapowsin. Three days later Tommy’s body surfaced. Tom and Kenny had a beautiful combined memorial. Approximately 500 people came to pay their last respects. Many stood up and shared their memories of Tom.
We will miss Tom so much but we know that he is with us in spirit and someday the family chain that has been broken will be linked once again. Until that day Tommy’s memory lives on here on earth. Thanks for the memories Tom and thank you for 26 wonderful years. I guess there was a reason why the Lord made the three of us close all those years. God Bless You Tom rest in peace dear son, brother, uncle and brother-in-law we all love and miss you and always will.
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| 1979 |
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Born in Libby, Montana on January 29, 1979. |
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| Baptism September 1987 |
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Tom was baptized in 1987 at the Zion Luthern Church Auburn, Washington.
Ron and Candy Johnson are Tom's Godparents
In 2004 Tom asked Jesus to come into his heart and be Lord of his life at Aggressive Ministeries Auburn, Washington
Tom enjoyed going to Christian retreats and learing about Jesus. |
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| August 9, 2003 |
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Tom was married to Tara M. Hardy at there home in Graham Washington |
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| January 22, 2004 |
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Tom became the proud daddy to a beautiful little girl named Kayleigh Nichole |
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| 2005 |
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Passed away on February 19, 2005 at the age of 26. He and his friend went to retrieve a duck that they had shot in a lake at approx. 3:30PM. They never came home. His sister, brother-in-law and 3 nephews went looking for them about 7:00PM. The truck was found, but they were not. 911 was called by his wife after we looked for them for hours. Search and Rescue was then called. They searched for 3 days and found nothing except the canoe, one orr, one life jacket, and a cooler. Family and friends continued to search. One month later, Tom's friend was found. One month and 2 days later, Tom was found. |
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| March 21, 2005 |
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Tom was found in Lake Kapowsin |
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| April 2, 2005 |
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Tom's funeral service |
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