Tom, it was a great privilege to know you. You were a respected member of the Normanby / Eston community who would put others before himself and whose warmth, friendliness, sense of humour together with his willingness to go out of his way to help others will be remembered by many. I will be forever in his debt for the way he took my late father ( Spencer) under his wing and gave him a new lease of life with the formation of the Normanby Local History Group. Tom would quiz my dad on his knowledge of village life, the residents and the changes that he had seen over the years. Tom encouraged my dad take an active part in the work of the local history group. By calling around at my dad's home several times a week for long chats and taking him out in the car, Tom was keeping an eye on my octogenarian dad in my absence.
Tom was in every sense a 'true gentleman' (or as he would say 'Buddha') and a respected friend whose memory live on in the memory of all who knew him.
My wife and I send our condolences to Tom's family and other friends at this sad time.
Derek Hardwick:
21/02/2021