A Life Well Lived A Tribute to Tom Patsalis 12/6/21 - 7/29/14 by Curt Collier First, thank you all for coming today to honor Tom. It has been my privilege to know Tom for the past 10 years. During this time, he shared his life story with me. How can one describe this mans story? Its big. Its full. Its long. If I could only choose one word to describe Toms story, it would be inspiring. Tom was indeed a force of nature. He lived life on his own terms and manifested his reality to reflect what he wanted out of life and who he wanted to be. From a humble beginning in Detroit, who would have expected Tom to achieve the charmed life he did? From high school track star to military band and World War Two service, to a track scholarship at USC, to marrying Molly, the love of his life, raising 3 kids, setting world records in track, traveling the world with competitions, being a pioneer in the LA music scene with his own bands, to playing in 3 bands until recently. When I think about all that Tom has done, I feel humbled and is if I need to get my tail in gear to accomplish more. There is that Tom inspiration again. How Tom lived and how he loved should be a model for all mankind. He lived a large life and loved unconditionally. I was blessed to see him in loving action many times. Tom certainly walked the talk of kindness, compassion and unconditional love. This isnt news to all of you who knew Tom. You all have been touched in some way by his gift of love and friendship that you will carry with you forever. I learned many things from Tom but one thing will stay with me. People are Funny. Tom said that if anyone treats you poorly or is rude to you, you cant take it personally. Theyre having their own problems and you should just shrug it off and say to yourself, People are Funny and go on with your day. Its surprising how often I say People are Funny. Yes, Tom will always be a part of me. His spirit, wisdom and grace shall remain with me forever. Here is a quote that I think describes Toms life perfectly: To be so strong that nothing can disturb your peace of mind. To talk health, happiness and prosperity to every person you meet. To make all your friends feel like there is something special in them. To look at the sunny side of everything and make your optimism come true. To think only of the best, to work for only the best and expect only the best. To be just as enthusiastic about the success of others as you are about your own. To forget the mistakes of the past and press on to greater achievements of the future. To wear a cheerful countenance at all times and give everyone you meet a smile. To give so much time to the improvement of yourself that you will have no time to criticize others. To be too large for worry, too noble for anger, too strong for fear and too happy to permit the presence of trouble. In closing, I can imagine Tom saying the following words because he certainly lived them. This is the true joy in life; the being used for a purpose recognized by yourself as a mighty one. The being a force of nature instead of a selfish, feverish, little clod of ailments and grievances complaining that the world will not devote itself to making you happy. I believe that my life belongs to the whole community and it is my privilege to do for it whatever I can as long as I can. Life is not a brief candle to me; it is a sort of a splendid torch that I want to make burn brightly as possible before handing it on to future generations. Yazu Tom!
Posted on: Sat, 09 Aug 2014 01:15:04 +0000
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