Fishing was his passion as a child. Fishing at the big pond and Green End in Newport, with Danny and Peter Ford and Frankie, 1960, Dad would stop by and pick them up on his way home from work for dinner, because Tom and the boys would stay forever, until the sun went down. From Brita Brookes: Tom loved fishing and had a huge respect and concern for nature. He always reviewed the condition of the ponds, lakes and rivers we fished in and he completed a MSU extension class on Pond Biology and Ecology that enabled him to assess the condition and causes of certain water ailments. His heart always sank when one of our fishing holes became suffocated by algae or plant growth—it pained him greatly. He had a real concern for water. We always had a pact to never leave Michigan because we felt it was a sacred state—with all the lakes and waters of life.