Tom was very close with our family while we lived in Lakefield. “Happy Hour” at his house each week was filled with good wine, great jazz, and laughter. I always felt at-home there. You never realize you’re living in the good ol’ days, until they’re gone.

“The older I get, the more I embrace who I am.” -kd lang

All the best to his family, from the Gastles.

A Post script to the message from Wendy MacFadzean!  The picture of Martha and Tom  sitting on the rocks of Georgian Bay was taken by me at our cottage !  That visit is a marvellous memory for us all!  
Wendy

It was with sadness that I heard of Tom's death this morning.  
I first met Tom (and Martha)  when they moved to Toronto to live in the West end, which now seems so long ago.
We met through our attendance at Royal York United Church which was in the process of working to establish a community ministry  in a nearby area. Tom wrote articles for the community paper in the area to introduce the Ministry to the people there.  He also helped to initiate and re-model a community 'shop' nearby where people could drop in for a cup of coffee , chat with each other, meet with the Minister there  and enjoy the opportunity to search for gently used clothing that might fit their needs.  
Tom and Martha were dear friends of mine, and we enjoyed many hours together over meals, wonderful chats that included much laughter, deep conversations and listening to music.  
How I will continue to miss them both. They were both a wonderful
enrichment  to my life.
May you be blessed with happy memories.
Most sincerely,
Wendy MacFadzean, Guelph, Ontario.

Dear Donna and family, 
My name is Deborah Hart and I was one of Tom and Martha's ministers at Royal York Road United Church in Toronto. They were both such treasured members and I loved the sense of humour they brought to the challenges of life and the world.  They cared deeply.  Tom shared his journalism skills and supported our Stonegate Community Ministry while Martha chaired the Outreach Committee. I have a CD of their favourite music, given to us at their special anniversary celebration.  Many wonderful memories!  I am sorry for your loss but grateful for their lives, faithfulness and contributions to church and society.

Tom was my Uncle. He was my Mother’s brother. He was always a part of my universe and close family. I remember lunches with him, when I was a kid, at which he would tell me stories about fishing trips, and I remember the canoe that he kept in his garage in Leaside. And I always knew him to be such a good natured and kind person, with a slight smile on his face, always with questions.

Through the years, Tom shared with me his love of music, as he did. For a time, there were annual mixed CDs, before YouTube links took the place of that.

We often discussed his love of Vancouver and BC. And, while I was living out there, I had the good fortune of joining Tom on a visit to see his good friend, Bob Crone, living in a home on Horseshoe Bay, with great, expansive views of the ocean.

Tom and I both probably tried to take a photograph of that view. Because we share a love of photography.

Tom and I shared so many interests, from canoeing and photography, to music, to writing. And our career paths as well have been parallel tracks. As many of you know, Tom was, among other things, a freelance writer and PR guy. While I have set out on a career freelancing in marketing.

And I think that Tom was always well aware of the interests we both shared, and our similar career trajectories, and I think that a connection between us came from those similarities. And as I sat to think about what I wanted to say in this note, I probably became more aware of all this than ever before.

I would visit Tom and Martha when they first moved to Lakefield, and we went to the Jazz Festival. And biked along the trails and the river. And I learned about the great community in Lakefield. 

Over the past couple of weeks, I have exchanged memories with some of Tom’s neighbours. Lovely people who were such a support system to Tom. As friends, and as caring neighbours. And the affection that those who knew him had for Tom is so clear. And it is clear that Tom will be really, really missed.

Tom was my Uncle. He was my Mother’s brother. He was always a part of my universe and close family. I remember lunches with him, when I was a kid, at which he would tell me stories about fishing trips, and I remember the canoe that he kept in his garage in Leaside. And I always knew him to be such a good natured and kind person, with a slight smile on his face, always with questions.

Through the years, Tom shared with me his love of music, as he did. For a time, there were annual mixed CDs, before YouTube links took the place of that.

We often discussed his love of Vancouver and British Columbia, and the West coast. And, while I was living out there, I had the good fortune of joining Tom on a visit to see his good friend, Bob Crone, who was living in a home on Horseshoe Bay, with great, expansive views of the ocean.

Tom and I both probably tried to take a photograph of that view. Because we share a love of photography.

Tom and I shared so many interests, from canoeing and photography, to music, to writing. And our career paths as well have been parallel tracks. As many of you know, Tom was, among other things, a freelance writer and PR guy. While I have set out on a career freelancing in marketing.

And I think that Tom was always well aware of the interests we both shared, and the similar career trajectories that we both shared, and I think that a connection between us came from those similarities. And as I sat to think about what I wanted to say in this note, I probably became more aware of all this than ever before.

I would visit Tom and Martha when they first moved to Lakefield, and we went to the Jazz Festival together. And biked along the trail that Bruce and the river. And I learned about the great community in Lakefield. 

And over the past couple of weeks, I have exchanged memories with some of Tom’s neighbours - Bruce and Norm and Allison. Lovely people who, I’ve realized, were such a support system to Tom. As friends, and as caring neighbours. And th

Sharing some dear memories of Tom - Tom you will be dearly missed.

I didn’t know Tom well but we were in the same writing group and I always enjoyed his writing which was witty and ironic.  He struck me as a modest, thoughtful and kind man.
Thanks for the opportunity to honour him.
Nan Peacocke.

Tom and I met in 1963 at Ryerson, and as sorta outsiders we bonded quickly, and always had each other's back. Tom a skilled photographer, once helped me complete a last minute do or die news story in pictures - 'Flying Saucer Spotted over Don Valley', my first and last Fake News story as a journalist. We spent several Friday afternoons as the only audience for Gordon Lightfoot practicing in the upstairs Steeles Tavern for his nighttime Yorkville gig. One sunny afternoon on leaving another pub on to Dundas Street to hear shocked passerby distress calls "Kennedy's been shot!...yes shot!" And today in 2024, the two names mentioned here, Ryerson and Dundas, would I'm sure would twitch Tom's irony meter into some cryptic comment. I miss you old friend.

OBITUARY

Thomas Kent Muskett

January 27, 1943 – September 10, 2024

Comstock-Kaye Life Celebration Centre

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