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Thomas V. "Tom" Marick Obituary

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Thomas V. "Tom" Marick

Hood River, OR

June 16, 1944 - November 21, 2020

Thomas V. "Tom" Marick Obituary

Thomas Vincent Marick “Tom”, 76, passed away at Portland Providence Medical Center on November 21, 2020. He was born in The Dalles, Oregon on June 16, 1944, the second child of Vincent and Dolores (Golden) Marick. Tom and his family, including older sister Suzanne and younger brother, Pat, lived in the Chenowith area of The Dalles until moving to Mosier when he was six. He loved being outdoors roaming the hills of Mosier, hunting and swimming in Mosier Creek. In 1958, they moved to Parkdale and Tom attended Wy'east High School, graduating in 1962. After graduation, he worked at the Diamond Fruit cannery in Hood River, then in 1967 moved to Tillamook, taking a job at Publishers Paper. There, he met and married Norene Lynn, who was working as a baby sitter for his sister Suzanne. The couple had two sons, Vincent and Matthew. They were later divorced and Tom eventually moved back to the Hood River area and began work as a custodian for the Hood River County School district, a job he held until his retirement. He married Nancy Norris in 1993, adding her two children, Mary Ann and Tony to the family. Throughout his life, Tom was a non-conformist, adventurer and risk taker. He loved motorcycles and enjoyed bike trips and competitions like poker runs with friends and family. He was also known to push the envelope a bit. One time, a venture off-road with his street bike resulted in a crash and loss of several front teeth! Among the riding crowd, he proudly earned the nickname Crazy Diamond, stemming from Pink Floyd and the rock music he favored, along with his often times unpredictable behavior. Tom pursued many outdoor activities, including rock hunting. Although finding a special rock or two was special, enjoying the adventure of the trip and the scenery was just as important. Love of the outdoors played a vital part in his love of shooting as well. One sideline of this hobby was the coon and even skunk skin caps he made. He was particularly proud of one skunk cap, affectionately named "Punk the Skunk." It not only featured the skunk tail, but head, including beady eyes. Tom relished the “appreciative" looks he received when wearing the unique headgear to town. He did like to make people laugh and was able to see the humor in many situations. Tom was meticulous when it came to the care of his guns, motorcycles and cars. His tools were carefully organized and nuts, bolts, nails and similar items segregated and labeled. The attention to detail also came into play in the model cars he liked to build. Tom was artistic as well; he sketched and wrote poetry. He also liked learning and writing about family history. He attended the Odell Baptist Church. One part of Tom's personality that most family and friends will remember is his ability to connect and communicate with other people. He liked to refer to himself as "loquacious," meaning he liked to talk-- a lot. He summed up this aspect of his nature perfectly in a preface to a collection of family remembrances he wrote for a Ma rick family stories book In his own words: "It has been mentioned that perhaps these anecdotes of Ma rick life be renamed to, "Oh, Shut Up Tom," leading one to believe that all I do is talk, talk, talk! While there may be a certain or uncertain amount of truth to this, one can only judge for themselves if this nearly slanderous remark is even remotely true! Hell, I was born to argue with the masses of detractors wishing to silence me and would stoop to label me a 'loud mouth.' In retrospect, it's a possibility...... " That voice and the man will be missed. Tom is survived by his wife, Nancy of Hood River; sons, Vincent Blount (Tabi) of Bend, OR, and Matthew Blount (Charity) of Franklin, TN; daughter, Mary Ann Waters (Warren) of Otis, OR and son, Tony Fanger, Hood River, OR; grandchildren, Dezteni McKim (Zach), Alex, Zoe and Levi Blount and Elijah and Aaron Waters; great grandchildren, Tyson, Elly, Lyvia and Zander; sister, Suzanne Richardson (Vern) of Hood River, OR; brother, Pat Marick (Sharon) of Parkdale, OR; and many nieces and nephews. Memorial services are pending. Arrangements are under the direction of Anderson's Tribute Center (Funerals • Receptions • Cremations) 1401 Belmont Avenue, Hood River, Oregon 97031. Visit www.AndersonsTributeCenter.com to leave a note of condolence for the family. “Crazy Diamond - he earned the moniker “Crazy Diamond” among the riding (motorcycle) crowd because of his love for Pink Floyd and his talent for creating awkward situations with his words or actions. He was what you would call “not safe for speaker phone” and sometimes “not safe for kids,” but he sure loved kids. He had a sense of exploration and adventure that most people would shy away from. I still remember the time that he knocked his front teeth out from the windshield of his street motorcycle because he wanted to explore off-road. He loved building model cars, shooting gray diggers and playing basketball with Vince and Matt. He loved to tell stories about events in his life, and as he did we were often transported back in time like a Norman Rockwell painting or a Patrick McManus tale. Tom and his boys played a lot of basketball, and if playing on Tom’s team - you had to be aware of the “blind” pass that could bloody a nose or take out a tooth if you weren’t ready for it. He loved to explore the natural beauty and geology of the land and that fueled his desire to explore the land with two wheels and a helmet. He instilled a sense of hard work that would make a person feel guilty to ask for help. The first few Summers with dad in Hood River, Vince and Matt helped buck and stack hay in the fields. Even though the days were hot, he advised they stay smart and wear long sleeved shirts to save their forearms from damage. He had a do-it-yourself country craftsmanship and artistry that defined his persona, from sharpie drawn curtains and T-Shirts to custom built contraptions, walking sticks, raccoon skin caps and yes, even skunk skin caps. He taught his boys how to be safe with guns - and how to shoot. He was also very proud of the artistry of his sons and always had their originals taped or pinned on the walls. He introduced his boys to the classics like Arlo Guthrie, Pink Floyd and Richard Pryor. They introduced him to Motley Crue, Iron Maiden, Aldo Nova and many more - and he LOVED rock ‘n’ roll! He adored his first granddaughter Dezteni and there was nothing that he wouldn’t say “yes” to for Dezteni. He was a rock hound and knew all of the hidden places along the highways and backroads to find treasures like petrified wood, jasper, shale, quartz and a lot more. He loved to laugh and was happy to give others a good laugh or deliver a good laugh for a funny joke or situation. He did have a talent for seeing the humor in many situations. He liked to refer to himself as loquacious - meaning that he liked to talk a lot - and was so loquacious that telephone conversations sometimes lasted hours. His talking didn’t end with people either, as he was always speaking with the animals around him as well… from cats and dogs to just about any farm animal that he might encounter. Norene’s (first wife) brother Tom looked up to him like a big brother. My uncle Tom went on to race dirt bikes and would only run with Yamaha because of my dad. He taught Tom about model cars, gun safety and hot rods. Uncle Tom still has some old Hot Rod magazines that my dad left him.” -Matt Blount

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