Very Sad News

[WesW]

OrpingtonT; Tom passed away this morning, tho his son told me it was peaceful and dignified.

 

We treasured meeting OrpingtonT/Tom & Barbara on one of our Voyager cruises and will fondly treasure

our shipboard memories.

 

Sincere condolences to Barbara and Tom's family.

 

If you care to send a condolence post, I plan to share the thread with Tom's son once done. Thank you

Edited February 21, 2014 by Colonel(Ret.)Wes

[Travelcat2]

That is extremely sad news. He will be missed by many. My heart goes out to Barbara and their family.

[borntocruz]

I am so very saddened to hear this. I never met him, but oh what a gentleman he was on this site! My very sincere sympathy to his family and friends. Thank you for letting us know, Wes.

Jacki

Edited February 21, 2014 by borntocruz

[Host Dan]

Thanks for letting us know Wes. Although I never met him personally, I always appreciated his well-thought contributions to this forum.

[Responder]

What a shame.

 

We met over the years on a couple of cruises and thought he was quite a classy person...and Barbara as well.

 

Our sincere condolences..

[TedC]

So SAD to learn the BAD news. I was so saddened when I heard Tom had that TERRIBLE cancer . Tom and Barbara had to cancel a recent cruise I was on and so wanted to see Tom and Barbara.

 

In retrospect, I'm quite sure we met Tom and Barbara on a Regent ship a few years ago. My wife was having problems and I asked Tom and Barbara how they were doing with the wheelchair. We had a very beneficial conversation.

 

Sincere condolences to Barbara and family.

[tallship]

Very sad. I just had an email from him mid January. We will miss him very much

[LauraS]

Our condolences to his family and friends....

 

Laura

[RachelG]

Tom and I were very good friends. I had just talked with him via Facebook a couple of days ago, and he was his usual chipper upbeat self. Never one to complain about whatever life had in store.

 

We first met on a cruise 6 years ago. We had talked in CC prior, and he told me to look for the "old decrepit guy pushing his wife in a wheelchair". When we met, he was anything but decrepit. Very fit and full of energy. We hit it off immediately and have been friends ever since. We did 2 awesome cruises together.

 

Memories of Tom (there are lots, but these are just the highlights):

 

Post dinner drinks with Barbara and him in the observation lounge.

Watching him help Barbara with her PT every morning out on the pool deck.

Hearing his stories of serving in the British army in Venice in WWII

His kindness to my teenaged son

Seeing his pride in this children and grandchildren and his utter devotion to Barbara.

Fighting over the last bit of lamb curry on the pool deck buffet at lunch.

 

He was an awesome fellow and will greatly missed. Rest in peace, Tom.

[WesW]

Warmest, most thoughtful post I've read on CC. Thank you for sharing your Tom and Barbara moments Rachel.

 

 

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

Edited February 21, 2014 by Colonel(Ret.)Wes

[RachelG]

Just spoke with Jon, my son. In his words "Tom was a really cool old dude." High praise!

[poss]

Tom was one of the people whose posts always made me somehow happy. Rachel: I remember your mentioning the "how to find me" description before, and what you actually did find: it made me smile then and now again.

 

Tom seemed so sweet and good-natured and positive. His posts were often like a pleasant tonic. What I specifically remember and prize is that he teased me once or twice on these boards. I seem to have a fixation about bed-width, which Tom latched on to. I got the gentlest ribbing about it from him on occasion-- "ribbing" is way too strong a term; it was just his way of saying, "Hi; I remember you."

 

Sincere condolences to his family and friends.

[Travelcat2]

My husband and Tom were countrymen. On our only cruise together, they enjoyed several conversations together. Wish there could have been more..... many more.

[Anna B.]

I was devastated to read this. Sweet Tom and beautiful Barbara, I am absolutely heartbroken! We were on a cruise together a few years ago. Of course Tom told me to look for the old codger pushing his wife in a wheelchair. I bolted into the ladies room one afternoon early in our cruise and ran into Tom and Barbara. I knew immediately who they were and we laughed and laughed about how we met. He added so much joy to my life. I loved his CC posts and was also friends with him on facebook. I will miss him always and my heart goes out to his family.

 

Rachel, I loved your post. And Colonel Wes, thank you so much for letting us all know. We have lost a real treasure!

 

Our love to Barbara and family,

Al and Kathy

[Mr Rumor]

I had been thinking of Tom just this morning, wondering how he was doing. I was always on the lookout for his posts, as he had a unique presence on this board. I was also appreciative of his kind support of, and participation in, several of my live cruise blogs.

 

Thanks, Wes, for sharing the news of his passing, and, thanks, too, Rachel, for sharing your precious memories of your friend. I believe that Tom was fortunate to have lived and cruised well into his 80s with Barbara, but that fact is scant comfort at the moment. I'm really going to miss his gentlemanly wit and observations.

 

Rich

[gf]

I am so sorry to hear the news about Tom. Never met him, but always enjoyed his posts here, seemed a wondeful person, very "positive." We will miss him here.

 

My condolences to the family.

[Hambagahle]

Tom Noon was one of the nicest men I have ever met. Gentle, witty, intelligent and caring. What more can be said about someone?

 

For a long time we exchanged comments on this Forum. And then by chance we booked the same cruise. He told me - as he did Rachel - to look for a "decrepit old codger pushing a wheelchair". How Ken and I enjoyed that cruise and dining and chatting and sharing experiences not only with Tom but with Barbara, their son Paul and his wife Eileen. Tom had the knack of making friends in a most sincere way - not at all like some who are "ships that pass in the night". And he worked hard at staying in touch with his friends who, I am sure, all appreciated that as much as I.

 

Ken and I send our deepest condolences to Barbara, Paul, Eileen and the rest of the Noons. The Regent Board on CC has lost a dear member. We shall miss him.

 

Gerry

[charltonkerry]

Rest in peace Tom, sorry our paves never crossed, even so we only lived a couple of miles apart, it was your encouragement and enthusiasm for Regent that made me book my first cruise with Regent, I am now looking at booking my third, thanks for the tips and all the advice.

 

My sincere condolences to Toms family

 

Kerry and Marion

[WesW]

Late last night heard back from the President of Regent (Kunal Kamlani, wanted to Regent leadership know they lost one of their most loyal guests). Mr. Kamlani noted that Tom and Barbara have sailed with Regent numerous times and he mentioned that the Regent family will sorely miss the Tom/Barbara sailing with Regent.

[tallship]

Thanks, Wes

I was emailing with Gerry this morning and remembering the first time he met me at a cocktail party that Gerry organized on the volcanic ash cruise. I remember he said he was surprised that i was not tall at all...:-)

Then we went into a good discussion about the origin of my screen name. My mom was very fond of both Tom and Barbara.

[msmillie]

Tom Noon was one of the nicest men I have ever met. Gentle, witty, intelligent and caring. What more can be said about someone?

 

Ken and I send our deepest condolences to Barbara, Paul, Eileen and the rest of the Noons. The Regent Board on CC has lost a dear member. We shall miss him.

 

Gerry

 

Gerry, you described Tom perfectly, I would like to add two very special gifts, he was devoted and loving to Barbara in so many ways. We would also like to send our deepest condolences to his family.

Angie

[Tucruisers]

Thank you to everyone for their kind thoughts and to Col Wes for the original post. My father came to cruising late in life, but really enjoyed it, especially with Regent. He also got enormous pleasure from communicating through these forums, he followed many friends and indeed people he had never met and loved to hear about and share experiences and opinions. Right up to the week before his death he was pondering renewed travel insurance.

I will pass on all these thoughts to my mother who is of course devastated to lose her husband of 62 years, a kind and decent man who will be so much missed

[RachelG]

I am loving reading all these memories and tributes to Tom. They make me smile, and I know he would love it.

 

Poss, you post in particular got me thinking about my first interaction with Orpington. I was fairly new to the boards, and we had not yet met in person. I was posting about how I have loved a particular embarkation day sail away, what with the excitement and anticipation of the cruise to come. I posted that George and I went out on the top deck for the sail away, which was marvelous, but that I was wearing a full skirted dress and it was very windy. So the wind kept blowing it up. I said that I would have to remember to wear pants the next time.

 

By pants, I, as an American, was referring to slacks. But Tom, as a Brit, thought that I was referring to underwear. We had a hilarious exchange over that one.

 

Paul, please tell your mom that I am thinking of her constantly. I know she is devastated.

[Responder]

I don't believe Tom & Barbara's last name is Orpington.

 

Orpington is a suburban town and electoral ward in the London Borough of Bromley in South East London

 

This was part of the screen name he used..

[tallship]

Thank you to everyone for their kind thoughts and to Col Wes for the original post. My father came to cruising late in life, but really enjoyed it, especially with Regent. He also got enormous pleasure from communicating through these forums, he followed many friends and indeed people he had never met and loved to hear about and share experiences and opinions. Right up to the week before his death he was pondering renewed travel insurance.

I will pass on all these thoughts to my mother who is of course devastated to lose her husband of 62 years, a kind and decent man who will be so much missed

 

My deepest condolences once more. He will be missed so very much.