It is with a deep sense of loss that we inform our membership of the passing of PHCC of the Redwood Empire & PHCC of California Past President Tom LeDuc.
A celebration of his life will be held on October 16, 2015 at Limerick Lane Winery in Healdsberg, CA beginning at 3:30 PM. The family respectfully requests that you RSVP by clicking on the link provided here:
https://celebratetommyleduc.wordpress.com/
From his obituary:
LEDUC, Tom:
Santa Rosa lost a cherished community member, business owner, and friend Sunday morning when Tom LeDuc, a.k.a. “Tommy Bahama” or “Bumpa”, died after 68 years of great great life.
Born and raised in Santa Rosa, Tom was a lifelong “Santa Rosan.” Tom graduated from Montgomery High School in 1965, and he often talked about the friends whom he’d known since high school, grammar school, and even prior. His roots in this community ran incredibly deep and were a big reason for the success of his plumbing business and Tom would often humbly attribute any success to the fact that he worked with everyone he grew up with.
While a lifelong plumber by trade, it is impossible to define Tom by just his profession. In addition to owning LeDuc and Dexter Plumbing, Tom was an active community member and sat on the board of the North Coast Builders Exchange, Big Brothers and Big Sisters of Sonoma County, the Plumbing Heating Cooling Contractors Association, and The Wells Fargo Center. Tom never seemed to be content if he was the only one benefiting in a situation. Whether in business or just in conversation, Tom valued community involvement and always made sure he gave as much as he received. An avid fisherman, Tom spent many a day on the Sea of Cortez in a ponga boat, reel in hand, friends at his side, with a smile on his face. For Tom, the amount of fish caught was never as important as the company he shared and how many laughs everyone had. His approach to fishing was his approach to life…he loved the journey, he loved the companionship, and he’d always brush off a bad day of fishing with a smile, a shrug, and ask when everyone was going out next.
As a loved and loving friend, brother, husband, father, and grandfather, what most defined Tom was his boyish enthusiasm, his ever optimistic outlook, his infectious laugh, and his constant appreciation and recognition of those around him. Tom was truly a teddy bear. A big man, the size of his body was for good reason -no smaller body could have carried a heart as big as his. Often misty eyed when talking about family, he shared his emotion confidently and openly -a trait very unusual amongst men of his generation. Tom’s lovely ladies were his wife Sandy, his sister Jeanne, and his daughter Alexis. They say the bigger they are the harder they fall. If that is true, then the only lady Tom fell for harder than his wife Sandy was her daughter. There was an inescapable twinkle that danced in his eyes and an ever-present smile twitching on the edges of his mouth whenever Alexis was in the room. That twinkle and smile only grew as she gave him two grandsons and a granddaughter to love, spoil, and brag about. It was truly a pleasure to watch Tom become “Bumpa” and his grandchildren, like his daughter utterly adored him.
As much as can be conveyed via an obituary, Tom would have wanted EVERY friend and acquaintance who reads this to know how much he appreciated them. His genuineness and gratitude for his friends was something he talked about until he had no more words. He would say THANK YOU to each of you and he would want you all to know there’s a big “Tommy LeDuc hug” waiting for you down the road. In lieu of flowers, Tom’s family has asked that everyone take a moment and give thanks for all of the wonderful people we have in our life and the wonderful community we live in.
A celebration of Tommy Bahama’s life will be held on October 16th at 3:30 p.m. at Limerick Lane Winery in Healdsburg. Considering the potential amount of people who may attend, a website has been set up and the family is requesting that everyone RSVP so that plans can be made accordingly. The website has been removed.
Published Online in the Press Democrat from Oct. 9 to Oct. 10, 2015
