I love you, Dad. Miss you and think of you every day.

I was a student of Roys in 1988 at SCC. I have fond memories of my time there with him. I just wanted to offer my condolences to the family.

Kevin Sprague

Dad seemed to be able to fix almost anything. One of my favorite memories was when Jason 's blue power ranger, Billy, lost his arm. These toys were hard to get, and I knew we couldn't replace it. Jason said, "Don't worry, Papa Roy can fix it. He can fix anything."  Talk about pressure. Well, Papa Roy did pretty good. Billy's arm, although not perfect, was able to move up and down and is still attached to Billy somewhere in a box of old toys. I can't remember how many times I called Dad to fix a car, a leaky pipe, or change a tire and never in all of those times did he ever say, no. He always came, and he always seemed to fix it. He showed his love by doing. 
He was a hard worker, but he still found time to take us fishing, to the beach and on many Sunday drives when we were growing up. 
Dad loved Mom, his family, his dogs, duct tape, cars, books, and his well-worn Bible. He was a good and sweet Dad to me, and I will miss him very much.
The last words Dad said to me were, I love you...I love you too Dad.

In my thoughts of Dad, I remember that he spent time with me. He worked a lot of hours to feed and clothe five kids, so a lot of our time-sharing was work related.  When he worked at Martin Senior Paint Company, he took me on day trips to exotic places like Lewiston, Kettle Falls, and St Maries. Some of these were even during the school week. During these days on the job, he always introduced me as a young man. He would introduce me to whomever we were meeting say that I was helping him that day. He would then tell them something about me and what I enjoyed doing or had accomplished recently. He made me feel special and not just like a tag-along.
 
There were weekly trips with Dad to our property in Freeman to work on the house he was building. Most of the skills that I use to make a living today I learned by working with Dad on those weekends: mechanical skills, carpentry, and a general ability to see how things fit together. There was no YouTube back in the day, so you would just asked Dad. He had to teach himself how to do things from reading or trial and error. And there were errors, for sure.
 
I remember on more than a few occasions standing there holding whichever body part that I had injured that day, and Dad would say, “Ohh! You better have Mom take a look at that.”  Mom was kind of the minor emergency clinic of the day.
 
Dad also shared his interests with me, like photography — the relationship between film ISO, aperture, and shutter speed.  It’s hard to find photos of Dad since he was the one behind the camera. Taking a family photo back then was a lot more complex
 
Dad shared his interest of airplanes with me. When I was young, I asked Dad what made airplanes fly.  He sat me down and explained that he had asked that same question when he was my age. The answer he got was “the wings.”  He then went on to explain the principles of lift with drawings of wing cross-sections and airflow; he explained wing dihedral and the principles of drag and thrust. This, as much as anything, led to my interest in aircraft, and to my enlistment in the Air Force, which began my life of travel around the world.
 
Maybe what I remember most about Dad is that he wasn’t an idle man. There were always projects that he committed time to. But he always managed to include me in the day-to-day activities. Sharing that time with Dad shaped my life and relationships and I will be forever grateful.


Memories of Roy Womack
by Debra Grubé
 
Growing up, Dad was perfect in my eyes.  He never raised his voice and he had a pleasant smile that was so encouraging to me. I remember once when I was about 14, sitting at the kitchen table and doing my homework. Dad came into the kitchen to get a drink of water and leaned against the counter. Looking at me, he smiled and said, “You’re going to make someone a great wife someday.” 
 
As a young family living in Northern California, Dad and Mom took us on many drives through the Redwoods, to the beach, and around the countryside.  Dad would take us to a place in Eureka where we fished off of the dock and had fun catching whatever we hooked, even a crab. 
 
When I was about 10, we went to a church picnic on the beach near Ferndale. The men went to gather driftwood for a bonfire, and as I watched my dad walk toward us with his arms full of wood, I remember thinking that my dad sure was handsome.
 
Dad was very artistic and encouraged me in my interest to paint in oils.  He helped me to buy the paint tubes and canvases I needed and always had nice things to say about whatever I painted.  He also liked classical music, which shaped my great interest in symphony music. As a teen I heard a lot of Straus, especially The Blue Danube, which seemed to be a favorite of Dad’s and now is one of mine.
 
If we ever asked Dad how something worked or had a question about anything, he was famous for grabbing a pen and writing on whatever was available—napkin, paper towel, notebook paper—to sketch out the answer.  He was a natural teacher and did a lot of explaining to make sure we understood the answer to our question. Dad was well-read and could converse on many subjects.
 
As a teen, I was very shy and could barely speak to people. I remember one afternoon Dad sat me down for a talk. He told me that most people are somewhat uncomfortable when talking with others, and they want to be accepted. He said that when meeting someone, my goal should be to look at them when they talk, listen well, ask them questions to find out what interests them, and help them feel comfortable. The more I worked to make others feel comfortable, the less shy I became. That talk truly changed my life and my way of meeting and speaking with people.
 
I saw Dad demonstrate this way of meeting and speaking to people many times. Sometimes if someone was coming to our house to visit the family, he would give us some information about the person so we knew ahead of time what their interests were and what questions we might ask. He helped us use pneumonic tools in order to remember the names of those we would be meeting. These tools I still use today.
 
As we kids grew into adults, Dad was still available to help us anytime. All we had to do was call and ask. A flat tire changed, help with car and house repairs, handling insurance after a car accident, and so much more.
 
Dad shaped my life as he taught me to be kind to others, listen well, ask questions, and be courteous. My life is better because of who I had for a father, and I will always thank God that my dad was Roy Womack. 

OBITUARY

Roy "Tom" Thomas Womack

13 July, 1930 – 18 February, 2022

Thornhill Valley Chapel

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services