R.I.P. Tom Ledford 12-10- 2011

So I was thinking how to approach writing up an piece that describes Tom to someone who wasn't
fortunate enough to spend time with him. I could write for days and days of all the great times and adventures we've shared together,
the stories he told of his travels, the second hand stories others have told; not one of them negative. You couldn't say a bad word
about Tom; there were none.

I decided to jot down the first FEW adjectives that come to
my mind.

Laughter - the first word that popped in my head.
Everyone that knew him has more than one story of a time spent with Tom that broke out in
everyone laughing so hard at something he said or did.

Adventurer - It would be interesting to have a map that showed all the places on this earth Tom traveled to. All on his meager budget.
By no means would his accommodations be
described as 5 stars. I'm pretty sure he was happy with a warm spot on a sandy beach or if
he was lucky, someone would put him up for awhile. He was always able to get by on little to no funds. He got to see the sights and touch
other folks' lives.

Artist - His photo projects, his drawings, the infamous Mango Fish(with the instructional booklet), the Pterodactyl that hung for years in the What's Up,
his homemade hang glider, the Monkeys and Chicken book he was working on... so much creativity in one man.. he had so many ideas.

Generosity - I doubt anyone would ever accuse Tom of being rich. That said; anything he did have, you can bet he was willing to share it.
And more importantly his generosity spread into the real things that matter in life.. he was never short on kindness,caring, good will and his
ability to put smiles on all of our faces.

Brother - You can take comfort in knowing that your brother touched so many lives in such a positive way.

Son - I can't imagine the loss of a child. Please know that you raised a son that brought love and laughter to everyone he came across.
You can be proud of that.

Inspiration - He proved on a daily basis that you can do what you want in life and we learned that life is so much more than possessions
or anything monetary.

Friend - Myself and anyone that called him friend did so with great pride.

Personality - In a world of conformity and social standards, Tom was above all of that. He was the person people could look up to. He
was free of society's chains.

Life scholar - Tom's travels, interactions with people he met, his understanding of people and their characteristics was something
no one is able to learn from any text book.

I'd like to thank Tom for all the great memories and making all of our lives much more enjoyable. Take solace in knowing
that much like we're used to, you traveled again. You may not be with us in body, but you will always be with us in spirit.
And who knows.. it's been said there's this utopia where good people end up when they pass on. If that's the case, you'll
be the first person we see when it's our time.