Franklin Thomas Reese III

My husband, Tom Reese, passed away at our home in Fort Lauderdale, Florida on August 9, 2019. He was born Franklin Thomas Reese, III, in Norristown, Pennsylvania on October 4, 1947. He is survived by his sister, Leslie Dixon, and a myriad of friends, many of them lifelong.

Tom’s mother once swore to me that he took his playpen apart when he was two years old. He would continue to make use of his mechanical abilities by, among other things, restoring European sports cars before he could even drive. He was well known throughout his life for owning cool cars. He also had an eclectic taste in music that many of his friends admired.

He graduated from high school during the Vietnam War era and, with no firm plans to enter college and in order to avoid the draft, he enlisted in the United States Navy. He was assigned to work as a jet mechanic on Whidbey Island, Washington, and while there he became very fond of the natural beauty and hippie lifestyle of the Pacific Northwest. Tom worked at several different jobs after leaving the service, mostly centered on his innate talent for understanding mechanical objects. Somewhere along the line he decided he wanted to live near the ocean and spend time on boats, so he moved to Fort Lauderdale, Florida in the mid-1970’s. He sailed the Bahamas and the Caribbean Sea and eventually purchased, restored and sailed Skylark, a classic wooden Sparkman & Stephens yawl, which he raced successfully for several years. Tom and I met in Fort Lauderdale in 1988, and began to share our lives with each other. We were married on April 21, 2002.

Tom was an energetic, artistic man who nurtured and improved everything he came in contact with; the best example of this is our home and gardens. He was also a collector and enjoyed several hobbies, most notably photography and restoring and collecting model trains. He spent time on Facebook and I think it’s safe to say that he used the forum to enrich the lives of many of his friends, both old and new.

Tom was a warm and gentle soul and people loved him. If readers of this obituary would like to do something to honor him, please take steps to beautify and protect your environment. You can join an established environmental group, or simply plant a tree, create a garden, feed the birds, or learn more about ways to work with your local government to clean up neglected properties in your community. You can paint your house or wax your car—just do something to make things look and function better. Tom also nourished his surroundings by creating good relationships with his neighbors, which is another example you can follow to honor him. He often left plants, mangoes and other goodies on people’s doorsteps, and he was well known as someone willing to lend tools and a helping hand. The man loved beauty and he loved sharing.

He spread a wide net and I am so proud to have been his wife.