Zazzle used to be different and it was easy for designers to get to know each other. This is how I ended up becoming penpals with Tom.
Tom and I have been e-mailing for around sixteen years. I have never met him, but we both work in association with Zazzle. He has a shop called Swisstoons and he was a cartoonist. I’m betting that anyone who has been on Zazzle a while, will know Thomas Wuthrich of Swisstoons.
We first began communicating way back when Zazzle allowed comments on product pages, or store pages. I can’t exactly remember, but I know that designers would comment on each other’s work, where everyone could see. It is how I began talking with him online and then through e-mail. I was living in New Hampshire and looking for a rental house at the time. He lived in Michigan.
We would talk about things related to Zazzle, which could be helpful to both of us. He was into natural healing, and got me interested in Homeopathy. He also read astrology charts and would sometimes pass information to me, but had to explain it.
Tom was very interested in politics and would post his thoughts on his Facebook page and other places. We discussed elections and candidates. I bought some Zazzle magnets years ago with Tom’s funny artwork. I also have an apron with the Port wine design.
Tom Liked to Kid Me About Florida Life
He enjoyed hearing my stories about boating and fishing. He told me recently he would like to hear more about our fishing adventures. He had never been to Florida. My son doesn’t take the boat out much anymore, but I was hopeful that would change, and Tom hoped it would too.
Tom’s view of Florida was that it was a swampland filled with huge snakes, alligators and invasive species. He was mostly correct. He liked to share such stories with me because he knew that I hate living here.
When I began camping a few years ago, Tom enjoyed hearing of our adventures. It was this past April when I talked about an upcoming trip in May to a new place we’d never camped. He replied to that e-mail, sounding perfectly fine and normal, but it was the last time I would ever hear from him.
Leaving Suddenly
He never mentioned having any type of health issue, and he was into walking and stair climbing. Five or six days a week he would set his alarm and get up early to climb the stairs in his apartment building. He wanted to get his exercise in before people were up and about. For an older man (he was 80!) he certainly seemed to be in good shape. He cooked his own meals, and ate healthy food. He was very active, had a sharp mind, and still designed for Zazzle. And even though I am younger, I figured he might outlive me!
As I was saying, I received my last e-mail from Tom in April. It was normal. I e-mailed him from the campground in May saying I would send him a longer e-mail about the trip. I didn’t hear anything at all from him, which was odd.
By the time I had sent two more e-mails, checking up on him, but without any reply by June, I was concerned. All I did was Google his name, and there it was – Tom’s obituary. It was quite shocking.
I guess I’ll never know what happened. That bothers me the most. Somewhere between April 22nd and May 14th Tom got sick, or had an accident, that took his life. I can wonder if it was his heart that gave out, or if he fell while climbing stairs. I can wonder a lot of things, but I will never know. He did not have an iPad or modern phone, so if he went into the hospital he would have had no way to communicate with me.
I miss talking with Tom. I don’t have that many people I regularly connect with since my sister died. It was nice to keep in touch with someone who enjoyed hearing about my mundane life.
I miss you Tom.
