Thomas Vincent Dougherty, of Westhampton Beach, New York, passed away on Sunday, June 30, 2002. Tom was 43. He was a son, a brother, a husband, a cousin, a nephew, an uncle, and a friend.
In his brief battle against esophageal cancer, time became his enemy. With more time, victory would have been within his reach.
Time is our quiet enemy. Time also motivates. Time motivated someone to build this site.
Tom's illness and death had an unintended consequence. People were united and reunited; friends who had been apart for decades renewed relationships, and the abcesses of time faded and collapsed. New friendships and relationships were forged, hopefully for all time. Families reunified, as expected. We are no longer young cousins hanging out on Brown Street or Columbis Parkway or Richard Avenue. We are now satellites of the larger family, extended with our own children and their own lives.
Tom's site will be more then just a simple memorial on the web. The long-term goal is to make this an active place for his friends and relations, something to remind us of the kind of life he wanted to live, busy and alive and searching and learning.
A forum is available here which will allow interactive converations among us all. Hopefully, this site will be about all who visit here, as well as about and for Tom. Everyone can and should contribute. Tom would have been happy to know that, even though his isn't with us physically anymore, his spirit continues to unite us.