Wednesday, April 21, 2021
Dear Betty and Lisa,
our deepest condolences on the loss of Tom!
We are thinking of you a lot during these difficult days, loosing Tom is a loss for everyone that knew him. He was a hockey giant, a magician on ice. Austria’s and later Sweden’s young players benefited enormously from his advice and skills. From the day I saw my first game with the Klagenfurter AC, Tom became my hero. It was in December 1959.
I remember meeting the two of you exactly 60 years ago at the front door at Dr. Wöhrer’s place in Friesach. After my immigration to Canada in 1967 I wanted to reconnect with you and thanks to Dr. Dieter Kalt we were able to do so. 1995 was a memorable year for all of us. The three of you decided to accompany me on my holiday back to Austria, in order to meet Tom’s former teammates after 31 years. Wherever we went in Klagenfurt or Friesach, many of the older KAC hockey fans still recognised Tom, stopped and came to tell, how much everyone enjoyed watching him play hockey. Even when the three of you came to visit us in Ottawa 1998, and were part of an event at the Austrian Ambassador’s residence, he immediately remembered seeing Tom play in Klagenfurt. Tom you will always remain in my heart, all we have of you now are fond memories, and they will remain with me as long as I live.
