Thomas Bruce Redmond, 90, of Homosassa, passed away peacefully on April 25, 2019. A native of Brooklyn, New York, he was born on August 10, 1928, the son of Thomas and Madeline “Amanda” Meldt Redmond. “Tom”, as he was known to many, proudly served his country in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, an experience that deeply affected him and brought great satisfaction and friendship to his life. Tom was married to his wife, Joan Tollefsen Redmond, the love of his life, for 64 years. Joan was completely devoted to him and always referred to him as “Tom Terrific”, with pride in her voice and great love in her eyes. Joan was at Tom’s side throughout the great adventure of his career in the beer business, which spanned six states over 40 years. Beginning with P. Ballantine and Sons in New York City in the 1950s, Tom, a talented, ambitious salesman with an energetic and enthusiastic manner, found his calling in the beer business and frequently stated that not a single day felt like “work”- it was always fun and enjoyable for him. Over the years, he rose through the ranks to become the southeast regional manager for the Falstaff Brewing Corporation, moving his wife and two daughters to Eustis, Florida and establishing with Joan a home there. Later, he became marketing manager for Falstaff at their new headquarters in Fort Wayne, Indiana. While in Fort Wayne, he developed a weekend hobby of driving Falstaff’s antique fire truck in local parades. He loved to wave from the fire truck with his coworkers and family members and throw candy for the children watching from the streets.
Eventually he answered the call of the West and joined the Heileman Brewing Company in Phoenix, Arizona. He and Joan enjoyed their home there and had great fun exploring the state, particularly Sedona. Completing his love of the corporate beer world, his final position was with Coors Brewing Company, this time in Connecticut. He and Joan retired to Homosassa, where Tom channeled his never-ending energy first working with a local beer distributor and later working with security and deed restrictions for the Sugarmill Woods Oak Village Association, as he lived in Sugarmill Woods. He took great pride in this, wrote meticulous reports and cared deeply about the protection of his neighbors. Tom and Joan were very happy in their home in Sugarmill Woods for more than 20 years.
As a teenager, Tom was a Sea Scout and had a thirst for knowledge about everything related to flying and World War I and World War II aircraft. This interest was further stoked when he took aircraft mechanics classes in high school. Always a hard worker, he held many part-time jobs before he graduated, including working for Western Union delivering telegrams on a bicycle all over Brooklyn during World War II. During this era, Western Union delivered telegrams to families with loved ones serving in the military, notifying the families of their loved ones’ deaths, injuries or disappearances. This was a heavy load for a 15-year-old, and he never forgot the pain he witnessed and the sacrifice he came to understand. This helped inform Tom’s deep compassion for those entrusted with protecting their country in war time and led him to read extensively about the leaders of both sides in World War I and World War II. Over time, he developed an encyclopedic knowledge of aircraft from the two world wars, and he loved to share his knowledge of battles and the stories surrounding the events leading up to them.
Tom was a creative ‘tinkerer’ and loved to make things and fix things and work in his yard. He was a fast
walker and talker and was not one to sit still. He liked to help people and was a great story teller. He
loved plants, trees, nature and birds and viewed them with pleasure as he and Joan enjoyed time
together on their porch. Tom loved animals and never met a cat he didn’t love. He was proud of his Irish
heritage, and his trip to Ireland with Joan was one of the highlights of his life. He liked simple pleasures,
and his idea of relaxation was early morning coffee and a newspaper or a beer in the evening, always
with his wife- or a dinner with the happy addition of one or more of his children or grandchildren at the
table. Tom was predeceased by his wife Joan, greatly missed after her death in 2014. He is survived by his two daughters, Cathy Redmond Akroyd of Cary, North Carolina and Nancy Redmond Amundson (Karl) of Homosassa and his five grandchildren: Ben Akroyd (Erica) of Raleigh, North Carolina; Amy Robinson (Michael) of Raleigh, North Carolina; Kari Amundson (Adam Wilson) of Jacksonville, Florida; Hannah Amundson of Washington, D. C.; and Hailey Amundson of Tallahassee, Florida. Tom was delighted with the arrival of his first great-grandchild, Dylan Akroyd of Raleigh, North Carolina.
Tom is also survived by his four nephews and their families: Steven Anderson (Karen) of Shohola, PA;
Rick Anderson (Dawn) of Angier, NC; Ken Anderson (Lisa) of Charlotte, NC and Gary Anderson (Patty) of
Holtsville, NY. Tom was much-loved by his family and friends. He and Joan will always be missed and memories of them will be cherished. Friends will be received on Saturday, May 11 from 12:00 -1:00 p.m., followed by a service in celebration of Tom’s life at 1:00 p.m., all at Wilder Funeral Home, 4890 S. Suncoast Blvd., Homosassa, Florida 34446. (Phone 352-628-3344) www.wilderfuneral.com. Interment is at 2:30 p.m. at Fero Memorial Gardens, 5891 N. Lecanto Hwy., Beverly Hills, Florida 34465.
