RIP Tom Earp
 

Sadly, Tom passed 3/3/2021.

In ZAX forever brother....

Oh no!!! Thank you for letting us know. :(:(:(

I was just thinking about him this past weekend. Prayers.

How sad! I was wondering how he was doing....

He loved Lambda Chi so much.

Sad news.
So sorry to hear.

:(

Such a loyal alumnus. May he be blessed with peace.

Sad to hear of Tom's passing.

Tom was a long-time GCer (just over 20 years). I remember way back in the early days of GC Tom often referring to me as 'John, my HAL.' Not certain but I always figured that was a reference to HAL from the 2001 A Space Odyssey book/movie. Being a techie / computer geek myself, I liked the sound of it. I thought HAL = hardware access layer, but just now learned in terms of the book, Wikipedia reports: "HAL (Heuristically Programmed ALgorithmic Computer) is a sentient HAL/AL 9000-series computer (or artificial general intelligence)." Thanks for the memory, Tom, I smile when I think of it.

Also learned long ago on GC that Tom was a descendant of Wyatt Earp. I found out only after doing some searching on GC (years ago) to learn why another GCer referred to him as Tombstone. Thought maybe a younger GCer was taking shots at an older GCer. But turns out it was a reference to the 'Gunfight at the O.K. Corral' in Tombstone, Arizona where several members of the Earp family were among the lawmen side.

I very vaguely recall reading on GC, also long ago, where another GCer shared a family story how one of his ancestors helped Billy the Kid evade capture from Wyatt Earp's lawmen. Their ancestor covered Billy the Kid with a sort of tarp then they dumped a trailer of horse manure on top, hiding Billy the Kid just long enough for Wyatt Earp's lawmen to pass by on their chase through town. And here on GC were the descendants chatting together about it, which I thought was so interesting to see. I wonder if that discussion is still on GC.

Well, just wanted to share those few thoughts & memories related to Tom.

Rest In Peace, Tom Earp.

Tom’s passing made me reflect on just how POWERFUL the written word is—especially here and not in one word “Tweets” or single emojis.

Although the vast majority of us never met or knew Tom personally, we established a bond with Tom that no doubt sustained him through the last years of his life. We bestowed humanity upon Tom with replies, comments and humor. Even when we didn’t agree, we were kind and understanding.
Perhaps it’s because SO MANY of us are from the same era as Tom, and we realize the power of the written word.

While most of us will never meet in person, let’s never forget the value of our little site here. Sure, we dispense information and advice, but we also comfort and boost each other up.

May we continue to give each other a venue to connect with REAL people. And may Tom find his “forever home”....

You summed things up so well.

RIP Tom, based on some of the other posts it sounded like he was dealing with some significant challenges. You're now free from what ailed you in this life.

RIP Tom. You will be sorely missed here on GC!

Rest In Peace, Tom. Gooey buns forever!

God bless and keep you. RIP

Thanks for all your football talk, Tom.
You were, and will continue to be, missed.
At least you got to see your KC Chiefs win SB54.

R.I.P. to a great GCer. :(

He didn't have internet access, so I printed that thread and mailed it to him.

Well said.

Thank you for your eloquence, PGD-GRAD. I share your sentiments.

We've already been missing you, Tom.

Gooey buns and tater tots were the first thing that came to mind. Hope he rests in peace and is leading Lambda Chi in the sky.

In case anyone wanted to read his obituary,
https://www.tributearchive.com/obitu...-and-Crematory

He died only days before his 79th birthday.

Shall we posted tributes on that site? It might be a nice thing to do for his brother and LXA brothers.

https://i.ibb.co/Np6z1hP/F5-C5-F04-F...AE79-B2-F8.jpg

This screenshot is from Tom’s Facebook page. It has instructions for how to view Tom’s memorial service online.

I didn't truly know Tom but somehow cried while reading this. The best thing any of us can do for others is pass on our love, ability, and wisdom, and even in his death, it seems that's what Tom wanted to do, especially to his Lambda Chi Alpha brothers.

Us Greeks have clearly lost one of the good ones.

RIP Tom! You will be missed:(

Rest In Peace, Tom. You were definitely a BIG part of what made GreekChat so much fun back in the day. You will be missed and remembered.

Thank you, navane! I will try to be there.

Maybe have some gooey buns ready for the post-memorial buffet!

That's a nice obituary. Lambda Chi Alpha couldn't have asked for a more devoted brother.

That's a shame they didn't provide internet access there. I saw in the other thread that you were mailing the comments to him. Thanks for doing that. I'm sure Tom appreciated it. I did as well, gave us a chance to tell him we cared and, in a way, to say goodbye.

RIP Tom. Even though we never met in person, I will miss you! We had so many great conversations over the years and I will miss the laughs and the trash talking.

RIP Tom... I'll never forget how he asked to call me about my situation in Lambda Chi in 2001-2002ish and we ended up chatting on the phone for ah hour.

He is missed by many...

R.I.P Tom. You will be missed.

DaffyKD.

RIP Tom. You had a lasting impact on Lambda Chi Alpha and GC...you will certainly be remembered for years to come.

RIP Tom. What a legacy he left.

Very sorry to hear of this. Sincerest condolences to his family and his LXA brothers. RIP.

Darn darn darn. I was so hoping to hear he’s bounced back yet again, and there would be more posts in his unique voice. I spent 30 years in west KCK, our orbits were close but never intersected, but I will still miss him. RIP Tom. You did good.

Yes, good idea. I think you're right that it would probably be a nice thing to do. I just posted a tribute there a few minutes ago.

https://www.tributearchive.com/obitu...as-G-Earp/wall

Hi John,

Are you able to change the "title" under an individual member's name where it says "GreekChat Member"? On other forums I frequent, they sometimes change a deceased member's title to "In Memoriam". What do you think?

Interesting idea. Definitely something we can consider doing. Something similar I was thinking of was maybe to have a single page somewhere on the site with the same purpose of posting tributes / lighting a candle, etc. I'm aware of 3 other active GCers who passed... this is something we could do for all. Might implement either sometime soon after some other upcoming changes for GC.

The idea of a Tribute Page is sweet. I can only recall AGDLynn; who were the others?

AGDLynn, ladygreek & Eric Conard are the 3 other GCers I'm aware of.

Love the idea of a Tribute page, and possibly the In Memoriam designation.