Thomas Joseph Hole was born on the island of Malta on 23 September 1930 to his English father and Maltese mother. He grew up with his three brothers William, Frans, and Reginald, and his sister Doris. His childhood was an eventful one due to the outbreak of World War II that resulted in years of active and continual arial bombing of the island of Malta. In the middle of the war, at the tender age of 10, Tom lost his father who was killed in combat while serving with the British Royal Navy. Tom helped his family out by going to work at the age of 12.
After the war, Tom decided to become a police officer. He started his career at Luqa Airport where he spotted a certain young lady called Mary who worked there and who turned out to be the sister of a soccer buddy of his. Tom was a very shy young man, but somehow found a way of striking up a friendship with her by frequently sharing a bus seat with her between Luqa Airport and their hometown of Rabat. That was the start of a long and beautiful relationship between Tom and Mary.
On February 16, 1958, Tom and Mary were joined in holy matrimony. They were soon blessed with three children, Rosary, Louis, and Anthony. Tom adored his children and spent a lot of time teaching them how to swim, build and fly kites, take long walks in the country, catch tadpoles, and dreamt up all sorts of wonderful fun activities. He enjoyed making up silly rhymes and songs to the delight of his children. He was also a solid model of moral and compassionate living, installing in his children strong values based on the Roman Catholic faith and good citizenship.
In 1974, Tom and Mary decided to immigrate with their children to the United States after he retired from the police force. Tom immediately went to work for a construction company but suffered a terrible accident on the first day when some construction materials fell from a crane above his head. Luckily, he was able to almost move away except for his foot, and he lost one and a half toes. Undaunted, Tom found another job as a crystal grower with Hewlett Packard where he stayed until he retired a few years later.
During his retirement, Tom had time to devote to his hobbies, which included gardening and fishing. He also got to do some traveling within the United States, to Australia, to Lourdes in France, and to Malta. He was delighted when his sons got married and the family grew with the birth of two granddaughters, Daphne and Natalie. He welcomed and loved his two daughters-in-law Laura and Daniela as truly part of his family. He was an animal lover and delighted in the company of various pets including Caruso the canary, dogs Lily and Bianca, and cats Moose and Ralph. He was a quiet, simple, and gentle man who appreciated all the gifts that God gave him.
As he struggled with the pain and burdens of his ailing health, he remained the same optimistic and loving man. He faced his trials bravely and patiently. His health continued to decline until his final hospitalization in February 2021. For the last week of his life, he came home under hospice care where he received the Last Rites and on 23 February 2021, with Mary and Rosary at his side, he drew his last breath and went to meet his God.
May Tom rest in eternal peace!
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18