Word came on Sunday that my friend Tom Battles had passed at a hospice in a Seattle suburb. Today, we talk about influencers, but long before social media, when ‘social’ was straight up and personal, Tommy influenced me in ways that continue to this day. At 15, I entered the gym at Franklin High School, the hoop dreams in my head ludicrously out of reach. Even the coaches joked I was so clumsy I could trip over the lines painted on the court. (They weren't wrong.) That didn’t phase Tommy. His goal was to win the city championship in our senior year. GIfted point guard and forward-thinker, he said he needed a horse like me under the boards to help the cause. He then more or less willed me to learn to jump, shoot, and defend. We worked on my jump shot. (‘Snap that wrist!) On driving to the bucket. (‘Fake right, go left. Use that left hand!) In 1968, we won Tommy's championship. We were co-captains by then, but there was zero doubt about who the team leader really was. It was Tommy all the way. We stayed in touch over the years. In 2005, I flew up to Kodiak, where he was living then, and we spent all day, every day, talking about the old days and where our lives had taken us. I tried to tell him how important the confidence he instilled in that gangling 15-year-old kid had been. He laughed and modestly shrugged it off. We talked about how he'd introduced me to the city game and managed to shake some of the social stiffness out of me. We both laughed. I hope everybody is lucky enough to have such an influencer, up close and in person, and not relegated to remote control. RIP, Tommy, old and cherished friend.
Such a wonderful tribute by you, Tracy. A sad loss. None of us will forget the joy of watching you and Tom playing basketball and winning the championship.
Nancy Raetzloff (Groth)
Posted on Facebook by Tracy Dahlby
Word came on Sunday that my friend Tom Battles had passed at a hospice in a Seattle suburb. Today, we talk about influencers, but long before social media, when ‘social’ was straight up and personal, Tommy influenced me in ways that continue to this day. At 15, I entered the gym at Franklin High School, the hoop dreams in my head ludicrously out of reach. Even the coaches joked I was so clumsy I could trip over the lines painted on the court. (They weren't wrong.) That didn’t phase Tommy. His goal was to win the city championship in our senior year. GIfted point guard and forward-thinker, he said he needed a horse like me under the boards to help the cause. He then more or less willed me to learn to jump, shoot, and defend. We worked on my jump shot. (‘Snap that wrist!) On driving to the bucket. (‘Fake right, go left. Use that left hand!) In 1968, we won Tommy's championship. We were co-captains by then, but there was zero doubt about who the team leader really was. It was Tommy all the way. We stayed in touch over the years. In 2005, I flew up to Kodiak, where he was living then, and we spent all day, every day, talking about the old days and where our lives had taken us. I tried to tell him how important the confidence he instilled in that gangling 15-year-old kid had been. He laughed and modestly shrugged it off. We talked about how he'd introduced me to the city game and managed to shake some of the social stiffness out of me. We both laughed. I hope everybody is lucky enough to have such an influencer, up close and in person, and not relegated to remote control. RIP, Tommy, old and cherished friend.
Judith E. Payne
Thank you, Tracy, and thank you Nancy for sharing this with all of us.
Judy
Karen Kummerfeldt
Such a wonderful tribute by you, Tracy. A sad loss. None of us will forget the joy of watching you and Tom playing basketball and winning the championship.
Nancy Raetzloff (Groth)
This information comes to us from Charles Oliver.
Tommy Battles Memorial Go Fund
This Go Funding is exclusively to raise funds for our brother, friend or classmate
Tommy Battles and for a Home-Going Memorial Celebration, that he so much
deserves. As it may be, Tommy Battles’s classmates came together to give this
celebration of life for him, after hearing there wasn’t going to be one.
Please give generously to this Go Funding for Tommy and God will open the
windows of Heaven, and pour you out a blessing, that there shall not be room
enough to receive it (Malachi 3-10).
There are five ways to donate to this Go-Fund:
1) Give cash to Pastor Charles Oliver – who’s the lead of this Go Fund
2) Zelle to 206-850-3581
3) Cash App to Chase Bank account 764277862 bank routing number is 325070760
4) Write a check to Chase Bank account 764277862 routing number 325070760
5) FaceBook – Charles Oliver Homepage – then type in “GoFundme” the
system will prompt you from there.
If there any question(s) regarding the Go Fund, please call Pastor Charles Oliver
206-850-3581 or charlesoliver@comcast.net
https://gofund.me/1b14899a
The Memorial Service is going to be on Dec 20,2024 at 11:00am.
Holy Temple Evangelistic Center
12600 Renton Ave S
Seattle, WA 98178