Obituary for Thomas Hughes
Thomas Wilson Hughes, age 53, passed away unexpectedly on September 30th at his home in Peterborough, Ontario.
Thomas lived a very fulfilling life, well-spent exploring many different passions.
Thomas attended Oshawa Central Collegiate Institute and during that time, he participated in an award winning band and became a fixture in the music program there. He carried this forward and became well-known in the local music community, both as a music teacher and repair expert. Spending hours invested in fixing equipment at Bud’s music and playing with his many bands. Walking into Long and McQuade was always an adventure with Tom. Everyone knew him there - so it was never a quick trip. Surrounded by his community, he would give advice, shoot the breeze, strum a few guitars, and talk about new products. Not surprisingly, he even once bought a pinball game from a customer, as they stood chatting and finding a new connection between them.
Tom was incredibly passionate about fixing ‘old stuff’. If it plugged in, he wanted to find a solution to whatever wasn't working quite right - anything electronic he could fix. This was so deeply evident in the arcade he built in his basement that included a functioning jukebox, 6 pinball machines and 20 plus working arcade games. Some of Tom’s happiest moments were when he was playing ‘Tempest’ with his friends. The competition to beat one another’s high scores created many laughs and joyful conversations.
Tom took this passion for electronics and tinkering even further when he went back to school at the age of 39 to complete his post-secondary degree at Trent University. There, earned the honour of making the Dean’s list for his undergrad in 2012 and in 2013 he earned his Teacher’s Certificate. After completing these degrees, he found his path to a career teaching post-secondary students networking, information systems, and many other technological areas of study. At his core, Tom loved being a ‘maker’, in the last year he purchased not one, but three 3-D printers and loved making fidget toys and Harry Potter wands for kids.
In another way, Tom created a community out of a passion; Tom was very proud of his ‘Tom’s Kitchen’ Facebook Group. In this group he shared the many meals he made for his family and celebrated the meals made by others. He loved giving advice on how to cook the perfect steak (reverse seared if you are interested), smoke ribs or make the best tomato sauce (without too much acid). As in his other passions, Tom looked for connection here to. One of his favourite places to shop was Primal Cuts, where he took much joy in talking to the butchers about the different cuts and how he should prepare whatever he decided to pick up for dinner that night.
Tom leaves behind his best friend and partner Kerry Zinkiewich, and her two children, Alec and Eric McDonald. He will also be deeply missed and fondly remembered by his stepdaughter Lizzie Fenn; his parents, Thomas and Margaret Hughes; his sister, Natalie Hughes, her husband Michael Hurcomb and nephew Noah William and niece Audrey Hurcomb. He also leaves behind many, many friends who he inspired, conspired with, admired and supported. Tom's life will be remembered in both small and great actions that made life better for many.
If you wish to make a donation in Tom’s name, the family has set up a GoFundMe account with the intention of supporting youth in the Peterborough area. You can find the link to donate here: https://bit.ly/ThomasHughes
Thomas lived a very fulfilling life, well-spent exploring many different passions.
Thomas attended Oshawa Central Collegiate Institute and during that time, he participated in an award winning band and became a fixture in the music program there. He carried this forward and became well-known in the local music community, both as a music teacher and repair expert. Spending hours invested in fixing equipment at Bud’s music and playing with his many bands. Walking into Long and McQuade was always an adventure with Tom. Everyone knew him there - so it was never a quick trip. Surrounded by his community, he would give advice, shoot the breeze, strum a few guitars, and talk about new products. Not surprisingly, he even once bought a pinball game from a customer, as they stood chatting and finding a new connection between them.
Tom was incredibly passionate about fixing ‘old stuff’. If it plugged in, he wanted to find a solution to whatever wasn't working quite right - anything electronic he could fix. This was so deeply evident in the arcade he built in his basement that included a functioning jukebox, 6 pinball machines and 20 plus working arcade games. Some of Tom’s happiest moments were when he was playing ‘Tempest’ with his friends. The competition to beat one another’s high scores created many laughs and joyful conversations.
Tom took this passion for electronics and tinkering even further when he went back to school at the age of 39 to complete his post-secondary degree at Trent University. There, earned the honour of making the Dean’s list for his undergrad in 2012 and in 2013 he earned his Teacher’s Certificate. After completing these degrees, he found his path to a career teaching post-secondary students networking, information systems, and many other technological areas of study. At his core, Tom loved being a ‘maker’, in the last year he purchased not one, but three 3-D printers and loved making fidget toys and Harry Potter wands for kids.
In another way, Tom created a community out of a passion; Tom was very proud of his ‘Tom’s Kitchen’ Facebook Group. In this group he shared the many meals he made for his family and celebrated the meals made by others. He loved giving advice on how to cook the perfect steak (reverse seared if you are interested), smoke ribs or make the best tomato sauce (without too much acid). As in his other passions, Tom looked for connection here to. One of his favourite places to shop was Primal Cuts, where he took much joy in talking to the butchers about the different cuts and how he should prepare whatever he decided to pick up for dinner that night.
Tom leaves behind his best friend and partner Kerry Zinkiewich, and her two children, Alec and Eric McDonald. He will also be deeply missed and fondly remembered by his stepdaughter Lizzie Fenn; his parents, Thomas and Margaret Hughes; his sister, Natalie Hughes, her husband Michael Hurcomb and nephew Noah William and niece Audrey Hurcomb. He also leaves behind many, many friends who he inspired, conspired with, admired and supported. Tom's life will be remembered in both small and great actions that made life better for many.
If you wish to make a donation in Tom’s name, the family has set up a GoFundMe account with the intention of supporting youth in the Peterborough area. You can find the link to donate here: https://bit.ly/ThomasHughes