Farewell T More

Thomas More aka Tom More aka T More passed away today, March 4, 2009, at the age of 89. Tom was born in Needles, California on November 9, 1919 in a house on Fourth Street, behind the City of Needles Offices (the house is still there). He was always proud to say to anyone that he was born in Needles, California in 1919. And if you ever spelled his last name wrong - look out! "The name is M O R E, with one "O" and don't you forget it!" The Needles Desert Star found that out on numerous occasions when his last name was misspelled in the paper.



Tom's father, Richard, came over from Scotland and eventually found a job working on the railroad in Needles, California. He left is sweetheart, Isabella, behind in Scotland. When he was settled in Needles, he sent a letter to her asking for her to come to America and marry him. She wrote back that if he wanted to marry her, then he would have to come to Scotland and marry her there.....so he did. Way to go Isabella.



Tom was always famous for leaving his "tag mark" in places he and Corinne had hiked to from the highest peak to the deepest cave. I cannot begin to list the number of people who have said "we hiked up a mountain and found a cave or rock outcropping that we were sure no living person had ever been to and to their surprise, etched in the cave or a rock were the words "T More was here". Tom left these tags long before there was a Bureau of Land Management and once they were formed, they got on his case about what they considered defacing the environment. Any friend of T More can tell you that this was not defacing, this was his way of showing that he beat you there first!



Four months ago, Tom and Corinne were blessed with the birth of great-grandchild #4. Our son, Brian and daughter-in-law, Alison gave birth to a son who they named Brandon Thomas More, in short Brandon T More. Who knows, maybe someday Brandon and I will be hiking in the desert and come across a rock that is marked with "T More was here".



Tom taught this City Gal many things about the desert; hiking, climbing mountains to see what was on the other side, walking on old Indian trails, viewing Petroglyphs, and appreciation of the desert and what it has to offer and I will cherish every moment and memory I have.




T More I miss you but know you are up in the heavens climbing every mountain to see what is on the other side. I love you.

Your daughter-in-law, Anne