I don't know where to begin. Tom was a wonderful friend to me in med school. We studied, stressed, and laughed together. After a long day and night of studying, he would always have some Sleepytime tea on hand. Hanging out with him and Kris was always a treat, and a welcome departure from the med school routine. I tried to track him down after finishing residency, but in the end, he tracked us down. Did he drop me a line or pick up the phone? Nope. He showed up at our front door one rainy afternoon this past Spring. When I glanced at the door, and saw a burly looking guy in a baseball cap, I thought it was another lumberjack offering to trim the trees. (Tom never did look the part of gastroenterologist, right? Quite frankly, and without disrespect to my fellow doctors, he was far more interesting than most of us.) I promptly told my husband to get rid of him. After an unusually long silence, I hear my husband say, "You've got to be kidding me. It's Tom Taylor!" We were overjoyed to see him, Kris and the boys, and loved their surprise reappearance into our lives. I was disappointed to learn they were moving away only a couple of months after we reconnected. We made time for a family barbeque before they moved, had a few beers and plenty of laughs. In fact, my son asked me only a few weeks ago if Ben and Jamie could come play again. I meant to email Tom to tell him that, but I never got around to it. The news of Tom's death is devastating. I feel sick every time I think about getting that email. The confusion and the shock of it all. I am completely heartsick for Kris, Jamie and Ben. Tom loved his family and would have done anything for them. Tom's friendship was the rare kind which remained untouched by time and distance. I am lucky to have known him and I will never forget him. With love, Maggie(Rubino), Tom, Tommy and Mary Pilkington