RIP Tom A

[kaiwasoyokaze]

being a vancouverite i was always proud to have heard that a rangefinder legend at rff called the good ol' 604 his home.

may the force be with you Tom, and good shooting wherever you are.

 

[Waus]

What a sad news-my condolences to his family and friends.

 

[lukitas]

Sad tidings.

 

[eckhardf]

Bon Voyage Tom; you were the sort of person that makes RFF a great place to hang out. I'll miss your posts.

 

[huddy]

My condolences to Tuulikki and all family and friends. Although I didn't have the pleasure of personally meeting Tom, my interactions with him on the forum showed that he was truly a gentleman of the finest class. The world is a slightly less wonderful less place for his passing.

Rest in peace Tom.

 

[giulio stucchi]

My deepest condolences to his family and closer friends.

Giulio

 

[Glenn2]

What sad news. RIP Tom

I had hoped to visit Vancouver this Spring and finally meet Tom face to face, sadly too late. I'm same age and have my own health problems so this comes as a wake up call to make the most of remaining time.

 

[wintoid]

Terrible news 🙁 Really sad to hear this.

 

[Laszlo Gallo]

RIP Tom 🙁(

 

[kermaier]

Oh no, that's terrible news! I didn't know Tom personally, but seeing this post gave me a real pang of loss and sadness. I guess he meant more to the RFF and photography community at large than meets the eye....

 

[taylan]

RIP. I am so sad and speechless

 

[Shab]

Yes, I didn't know him directly but I read him a lot... really sad news.

Peace for him and his family...

 

[kahudson]

Rest in Peace, Tom. So much of what I learned about rangefinders and film cameras came from him. Condolences to his family.

 

[unixrevolution]

I am so sad to see such a wonderful member of the community passing. It's very sad, and I hope the best for his family during this time.

Rapidwinder is going to continue, it seems, so if you want to help support the family at this time, while getting yourself something nice, go buy yourself a couple softies!

 

[derleicaman]

Very sad news. I only had the pleasure of meeting Tom a few times at LHSA events, but he was always a pleasure to be around.
We always ended up sharing a beer and maybe a pipe.

I shot this image with his Zeiss Planar on my M6TTL. That's my 35 Summilux he's inspecting.
This was shortly before he field stripped my rapid winder to make sure it was still in good working order.

Here's a box of Tri-X he jokingly autographed for me. TX Forever indeed!

That looks like Lexington?

 

[CameraQuest]

The first post has been edited,

now with many Tom links added.

 

[AlwaysOnAuto]

Thanks for adding those links, Stephen. Reading them gives us 'noobies' a better idea of who he was and how he lived his life.
While I didn't know him, I felt a certain kinship being an ex-machinist myself. I really admired that he had the discipline to make the products he did.
I hope his wife can take some comfort in these heartfelt messages as it is quite evident that Tom touched a lot of people in a very positive way.
RIP Tom.

 

[FrozenInTime]

So long Tom - only met once, but your knowledge and personality lit up the occasion.

 

[leo mm]

I am generally just a browser on this site, but I have long understood that Mr. Abrahamsson was an icon of the community. When I search the RFF archives for opinions or information, it has always been a treat to uncover a relevant post from him, with that mix of wit, wisdom, and enthusiasm, delivered in a generous spirit. My condolences to those close to him.

 

[OlliL]

Oh man, just saw this post and my heart literally stopped for a second.
I always had immense respect for Tom, not only for his knowledge, but mostly for the kind and friendly persona he showed in these forums.
He'll truly be missed and my condolences to all his family in friends.
May he rest in peace.