Thomas Preston Lennon

To start this off in true Lennon fashion – "Rise and shine! Daylight's a-burning!" This phrase has haunted our family for decades. For those of you not raised in a logging camp, it's delivered using a Maglite in pure darkness.

If we had to describe Tom in three words? Cat...nine...lives. (We're sure you all agree… and that's all we will say about that.)

In his last days, a social worker visited our home as part of the hospice care. As we sat together, Tom began to share his life stories. We noticed the social worker's confused expression and sidelong glances. It was then that we realized Tom's everyday experiences might sound unbelievable or even crazy to others.

"Well, we hitchhiked with our pillowcases out to the swamp to catch snakes. Then, we kept them in our dorm room. Why did we have 30 snakes? To give them to the zoos."

Naturally. Who could blame this poor woman?

Speaking of snakes - Tom married someone who had an aversion to snakes. He was all "moxy and sass" when he brought home a pair of snakeskin boots. However, Dottye was not too happy about that, and she proved her skills with a pistol by putting an end to that particular pair of boots.

Shenanigans aside, who can resist love and a guy who can bring home the bacon AND Smokey Bear? Their fondest memories were of their wildest U.S. Forest Service moments, like living in a troll house underneath a bridge and storing their food in a river. Tom was committed to Dottye for over 70 years, and it's comforting to know they are reunited, dancing and laughing through the days.

Tom was an adventurer and an animal tamer, and every day was "Earth Day" for this forester. He scaled rock faces, canoed wild rivers, mountaineered across glaciers, jeeped the Rubicon, and climbed his house in his Washington, D.C. suburb to hang up bird feeders or paint the house. His description of an average week in his D.C. life? "From the outhouse to the White House."

He was the neighborhood's one-man three-ring-circus. If he wasn't repelling off the roof for a house repair, he was tending to his bees or acting as the resident wildlife removal service. And let us not forget the 40-year "squirrel wars." If you've been to Lake Accotink and seen a squirrel with an orange tail - you've experienced Tom Lennon's "Operation Relocation" saga.

Speaking of his love for animals. When we lived in Milwaukee, Tom took a woodworking class. The choice of projects included a wall hanger for mugs or a birdhouse. So naturally, Tom Lennon's "birdhouse" was a replica of the 1974 Ethan Allen formal dining room table, distinguished by its practical design and advanced extension mechanism. Measuring six (6) feet in length and four (4) feet in width without the leaves and, when added, extends to a full length of eight (8) feet. To Tom's birdhouse!

As most of you know, Tom already died once, and the tearful shock from family, friends, and neighbors - his insurance broker, the receptionist at his dentist's office, his lawyer, his family from Milano's - was overwhelming, as we witnessed a life well lived.

Tom prioritized people; Tom showed up. His family spanned far greater than us. It's amazing what you're capable of, even during your most vulnerable times, when you have someone who shows up, believes in the promise of a tomorrow, and thinks you have dreams worth chasing and the ability to do so.

I think we can all say his simple one-liners made big impacts on our lives and set the tone that we had someone in our corner.

"Keep working the problem, keep working the problem."

Going back to the social worker… Once we joined the conversation, the social worker was surprised his tales were true.

"Does he really write family stories?" she asked. Friends and family reading this, let me hear a resounding – "YES"! Tom may have retired, but he didn't stop working. His focus shifted to sharing historical stories about our family. He believed knowing where we come from is important to understanding who we are, and learning the stories of our ancestors' challenges can help us get through our own.

Unconditional love, connectedness to legacy, and connectedness to each other. That's Tom. That's Pop. That's our Dad.

Tom Lennon did indeed live nine lives, with an undercurrent of joy and mischief, guided by the hand of God. Everyone deserves to have a Tom in their lives, and we love that this family and this group of people got to be a part of the magic.

Well, "daylights a-burning". 73s, he'll see you down the line.

We all know Tom loved sharing family stories. In lieu of flowers, please send your favorite stories and pictures to his daughters at TomStory.2025@gmail.com so they can continue to tell "Tom's Story" for him!