Clear to partly cloudy. Low 38F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph..
Clear to partly cloudy. Low 38F. Winds NW at 5 to 10 mph.
A gentleman of few words and abundant love, Tom Blowey was received by his father Bob when he departed this world on July 27, 2022. He left as peacefully and calmly as he lived his life after having a stroke.
The fabric of a life is woven together with threads of family, love, and joy. Tom’s spirit is forever part of the fabric of our lives and will live on through his wife Mary, his son Dylan and wife Alexis with a granddaughter on the way, and his son Branden and girlfriend Emma Jo.
Tom shared his life with Mary for 29 years. He was a wonderful husband and loved Mary and their sons dearly. Tom was a gentleman always, highlighted in small special moments, like kneeling before Mary on their wedding day to tie her shoe all the way to saying “I love you” before he could no longer communicate with words after his stroke. Tom was an outstanding, caring dad. He helped with school projects, took his sons hunting and fishing, taught them to drive and even maintained that signature calmness of his when one son hit a stone wall while learning to drive!
He was always interested in his sons’ lives and would put his two cents in when they came to him with anything. There was a rhythm to his life of hard work and love of family, punctuated daily with a honk of the horn followed by “There goes Dylan”, as his son drove by on his way home from work. His love runs deep and strong.
To speak of Tom as a father - his sons say it best:
Dylan — Dad was a mountain man, gram used to tell us stories of how before he met my mom she wouldn’t see him for days because he would hunt all day and then sleep in his van out in the woods, wake up the next morning and go hunting again. He truly found peace in the woods, trying to figure out a mature buck’s hiding spot was his favorite activity. He loved the challenge and loved how hard you had to work to achieve the goal. He loved the smell of the cold air on a frosty November morning, especially if there was snow on the ground.
I have many memories of my dad and I hunting - my fondest is one day dad and I went hunting on a cold November morning, there was a couple of inches of fresh snow on the ground from the night before. Before we started walking dad warned me that he wanted to go way back to this spot that had some good deer running through in the past and that it was probably a 2 hour walk to get to it in this snow. I just smiled and said okay. We started walking through the snow up the mountain following the steep and curvy ATV trail, we reached the top of the mountain and then started down the other side where we went past a large swamp on our left. We continued past the swamp and discovered that the swamp’s exit brook had taken over the ATV trail we were walking on, so we started walking on rocks with the rolling water running around them. I finally asked dad if we were close to the spot he wanted to go and he said we are very close, it’s just past the end of this swamp. We continued hopping from rock to rock when we got off the ATV trail, we found some nice oak trees that had been dropping acorns, dad knew the deer loved acorns. We crept around slowly looking for some deer sign. We had seen a few deer tracks but nothing big enough to grab dad’s attention, so we continued on. We found another dryer swamp but with trails running all around the edge, by this time it was getting to be lunch and I was starving. I pulled out my granola bar and started to eat it, dad noticed and asked, “you hungry?” My stomach said yes for me, he looked around and started walking towards this fallen over oak tree that was 3 feet off the ground, he wiped some snow off the tree for us to sit. I pulled out my drink of water and half of it was frozen, the next thing I know dad pulls out a bag of 20 deep fried chicken wings. He said, “you want some chicken?”, with his signature smile. I started laughing hysterically and said damn rite I want some chicken!! Those were the best chicken wings I’ve ever tasted; we went through the whole bag in 10 minutes.
After the chicken was gone we just sat on the tree and appreciated how quiet it was out there, then dad started sharing some of his childhood hunting stories, talking about how he used to take pictures of whitetails with his camera and how one time he almost got run over by a mother moose that never knew he was there, he said “Dyl I could’ve literally reached my arm out and touched this moose as it was passing”. He described remembering the wind rushing past him. We both sat shaking our head and smiling. After that we talked about our next move for finding deer, we got up from our tree and made a circle following one of the bigger trails coming out of the dry swamp. There were some rubs we found on the trail, but by this time it was around 2 o’clock, dad turned back to me and said, “well it’s probably time to start heading back, we’ve got a long walk ahead of us”, I agreed. After a 2 1/2 hour walk back to the truck both of us were exhausted. Once we got in the truck and turned the heat on dad said “ahh we will get him tomorrow” and smiled. I smiled and said, “yeah we will”! We didn’t see one deer that day, but it was the best hunting day that I’ve ever had and I wouldn’t trade it for anything.
Branden — I have a story I’d like to share about my dad. My dad loved Alaskan King Crab legs; he’s told me many a times over the years. I often went with my mom, while growing up, to the grocery store, and there they were. Big, spiny limbs frozen in the fish case, significantly the highest priced thing there. They were always out of our budget growing up (it was lobster if we splurged), but I never forgot those crab legs. I hadn’t tried crab myself until college. Even then, King Crab Legs were just out of budget for a college kid, so I had Snow Crab. Next time I had a call with Dad, I told him about how good Snow Crab was and he told me “Snow Crabs good, but King Crabs a whole other level”. Last Christmas I realized ‘wait, I have my own money now, I can buy them as a present. So, I went to that very same case over 10 years later and picked up half a pound of Alaskan King Crab Legs and a pound of the (much cheaper) Snow Crab. I wrapped them up, put them in the freezer, and gave it to him on Christmas morning. Dad had been going downhill for a couple years but he was the happiest I’d seen him in a while when he saw all them legs. The very next day we got to work. We looked all that morning for recipe ideas, how to cook ‘em, everything. Dylan and Dad loved fishing and hunting, but I was closer with Dad when it came to cooking. We debated about how best to cook ‘em up, finally deciding brushing them down with a butter sauce and steaming them in the oven with foil on top. We had them for lunch that day on the couch with a big bowl in the middle for the shells and dang King Crab Legs are tough. I got him a Seafood Hammer as well and we put that thing to work. We were so happy, and I’d finally gotten Dad those Crab Legs, a lunch over a decade in the making! Afterward, Dad said that “I think I actually like the Snow Crab more”, haha. Looking back at that, the crab itself was very tasty, but what I valued more was spending that quality time with Dad. At the time I told him “that’s good you like the Snow Crab more, I can get ya a lot more next year”. Maybe that’s a tradition I’ll keep in his memory, Snow Crab around Christmas.
Tom took pleasure and pride in work well done. Respectful and kind to everyone, Tom was there when you needed him for anything. He was Caretaker for June Geneen, living on the estate with his family for 22 years, followed by 8 years working for the Town of Landaff, NH. He had several side jobs and cared for all of his people. He was a problem solver and could fix anything and had a knack for building things out of spare parts.
Just as his spirit lives on with Mary, Dylan and Alexis with baby on the way, and Branden and Emma Jo, it lives on with his mother Theodosia Blowey, sister Beverly Colby and husband Chris, sister Pamela Lagrassa and husband Jim, sister Mary Pancini and husband Joe, mother-in law Janice Gadapee, father in law David Doyle and wife Corinne, sister in law Barbara Payer and husband Patrick, brother in law Del Doyle and wife Karen, brother in law David Doyle and partner Farhad Niroomand, and numerous nieces and nephews.
From the moment of his birth 62 years ago, Theo’s love for Tom has been ever growing. Watching him grow into a beautiful, amazing husband and father has been a treasured gift. She takes pride in knowing that everyone who knows Tom only has the best words for him. This private and quiet man may not have always been easy to live with, yet he was always respectful and a gentleman. A highlight in Tom’s life for Theo was him finding Mary and watching them as they built their life together and had Dylan and Branden. Being so closely involved with helping care for the boys has enriched her life beyond measure, bringing happiness. And as the family continues to grow with the upcoming arrival of Dylan and Lexy’s baby, she loved hearing Tom recently talk about how he wanted to take his granddaughter camping. When asked what she thought her husband would want to share about Tom, her response was immediate - He is happy to be there to take his hand and accept him into the light. Tom was extraordinarily close to his father and is with him now.
Tom’s sisters have countless memories and moments to hold dear. Bev is struck most by his Buddha humor. “He took me hunting one Thanksgiving, A man of few words, he chooses them carefully. I’m in my 40’s just wanting to experience his sanctuary and he has allowed me in. His only words, “you have to be quiet you know”…as I was bursting with all kinds of questions. We set off, walking here, there, going up, down and all around this mountain. Then he motioned to sit on a stone. We sat. A couple hours later, he whispered “we should go now”. I whispered back, ” do you really know how to get out of here and get back home?” He looked at me with his classic one-sided grin…”don’t you”. I followed the master in silence. Pam “looks back at all her memories of her brother and is so grateful for their one-on-one conversations which of course took place while he was puttering on a car or tractor. We talked about how much he loved Mary and how proud he was of his boys. He was so connected with nature and animals. I will always remember him as a gentle, loving, hardworking man who loved his family more than anything.” Mary treasures every “I love you” shared whenever they spoke. Seeing his crooked smile, a silly smirk, remembering that he was the kindest person with a gentle heart - these will forever be in her heart.
Mysterious and cool to his nieces and nephews, Uncle Tom was a hero, a mentor, a role model and he drove an amazing vintage Camero we all wanted to ride in. He taught us all to fish, took some of us hunting, allowed us in his room when we were young to listen to music (AC/DC, Led Zepplin, Aerosmith) and watch tv (Dukes of Hazard, Bonanza). We will never forget when showed up with Gram as a puppy in his army jacket pocket. He allowed us to share in loving Gram who was an awesome dog. Uncle Tom’s impact on our lives was significant, to the point where Roger in particular, took vacations from work to go hunting up north. The long talks we had in the woods will stay with me forever. There are no words to describe the amount of knowledge we gained from him.” These life lessons and the image of our role model will stay with us, sunglasses on, toothpick in his lips after a meal, his hat firmly in place.
During the last 2 years Tom was dealing with some serious health issues. Recently a medical professional asked him if he was dealing with depression, which is quite common with colitis. His response is a lesson to share with all - “No - I find joy in everything.” Let us find joy amidst our grief as we celebrate the life of Tom Blowey. His burial and Celebration of Life will be held on Sunday August 14th. A service and burial will be at 11:00 at the Landaff Cemetery with the
Celebration of Life following at Landaff Town Hall. Stop by, share a memory, feel some joy and support one another through our grief.
For more information or to offer an online condolence, please visit www.rickerfh.com
Ricker Funeral Home & Cremation Care of Woodsville is in charge of arrangements.
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