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I o derful to know you.' His mind was so sharp, it was just so dev- astating. The community will miss Tommy, he was such a good man," said Zegouras. "It broke my heart to see him the last few times. He gave his whole life to the community and he was so active in sports." Of all the politicians in the city, perhaps no one was closer than city Coun. Mary-Anne Sills. Monday's passing of Tom was particularly hard for Sills, a longtime leader in the sports community who shared the same convictions as Tom to make the city a better place for amateur sport. "Tom was a personal friend of mine so it's a very personal loss for me. Tom was one of the kindest, gentlest men I've ever known ... this one is really tough. I know of the physical struggles he had and I'm really really going to miss him. Lots of people will," said Sills. "I think Tommy was one of those rare human beings whose mission was to put everyone else first. I never knew of anyone who dis- liked him." Sills said Tom's lasting repu- tation of being an honest, good and kind-hearted man will suc- ceed him because he did so much good work behind the scenes in the city. "He told me he wanted to be remembered as a good guy. He certainly accomplished that," said Sills. "He never got mad, he always wanted to help and he was a true friend. It seems to me he was 150 years old when you think of the involvement he had in the city and when you see all of the people he touched." C o u n . George Beer was a hockey dad and used to watch Tom play and coach sports before he became a sports writer at The Intelli- gencer. Beer a l s o k n e w Tom's parents well when he was involved in Bel levi l le minor hockey. "Tom was j u s t a g rea t asset to this c o m m u n i t y b e c a u s e he h a d s u c h a strong interest in sports and a great knowledge of the area. He volunteered any way he could. He will be missed by an entire community, not just by those in sports. He w7as a driving force. It's hard to believe he was so young. He certainly lived a com- plete life in those 45 years," said Beer. Hastings County Warden Glenn Belcour said Tom was one of the first reporters he met after being elected years ago to Deseronto's town council. "He was probably the first newspaper reporter I met after being elected. I liked him. You couldn't help but like Tom. He was very approachable and was not a mudslinger," said Belcour. "He was very well-respected and will certainly be missed by a lot of people who owe him a life- time of gratitude," said Belcour. Federal Prince Edward-Hast- ings MP and Agriculture Minister Lyle Vanclief was flying home to Ottawa Monday evening from a trade visit to Russia and could- n't be reached for comment by press time. A recipient of the Governor General's Canada 125 Medal for his volunteerism, Tom held a Bachelor of Arts Degree in his- tory from Carleton University and a Bachelor of Arts Degree in journalism from Ryerson Polytechnic Institute. Tom was predeceased by his father, Don, a member of the Belleville Sports Hall of Fame; and his mother, Shirley Adams. He is survived by brothers Tim, of M o n t r e a l , and D a n n y , o f Kingston. Tom is resting at the Belleville Funeral Home and Chapel, 68 North Front St., with visitation today from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. and Wednesday from 2 p.m. to 4 p.m. and from 7 p.m. to 9 p.m. Funeral Mass marking the cel- ebration of Tom's life will be held Thursday, Sept. 19, at 10 a.m. from St. Joseph's Church, 399 Victoria Ave. Interment at St. James Cemetery.