Goodbye to our friend Tom.
On June 18, 2001, Tom Speros, our dear friend and co-conspirator at Camp Van Vac,
went into St Mary's Medical Center in Duluth for surgery to remove a
cancerous esophageal tumor. The surgery went well, but over the next few days
in intensive care his systems began to fail. On July 14 he died while his
sister, Lis, and I and his nephew Marty stayed close and touched and talked
to him.
Just a few days before Tom went into the hospital, our crew member Chris
Johnson aimed his new digital camera at Tom and got this shot we have so
often seen of our scampish friend: the fugitive evading discovery. A little
while later, walking down the road with a pile of sheets, Chris saw Tom
talking out front with our friend Mark Imsdahl and popped off the shot on our August page without
Tom knowing. We wanted to share them with you.
Thank you to all of you who were with us through this tough time. Our hearts
go out to Tom's many Camp friends for whom this is new, sad news.
Special thanks also to those of you who were able to join us in September for a memorial for Tom with his favorite music, good food, and delicious stories about Tom. --Love, Nancy jo
Tom's obituary in the Ely Timberjay:
A memorial Celebration of Life for Thomas J. Speros, 62, of Winton and St
Louis Park, will be held on September 9 in Ely. Mr. Speros died July 14 at St.
Mary's Medical Center in Duluth after a short illness.
He was born on June 10, 1939, in Portland, Oregon, to James T. and Mary
Kathryn (Hughes) Speros. He attended college at Lewis and Clark in Portland,
moved to California in 1966 where he started a psychodrama institute,
coordinated the drug and alcohol program for Solano County, and became an
an independent film-maker. In 1983 he moved to Minnesota with Nancy Tubbs,
where they managed Camp Van Vac on Burntside Lake. He will be remembered for
directing the 2001 production of "Wit" in Ely; for screenwriting and acting;
his casual genius on guitar, banjo, and mandolin; his love of theatre and
movies; and especially as resident comedian and curmudgeon.
He is survived by two sons, Dimitri and Ted (Lita) Speros of San Francisco,
California, and a daughter, Jayne Speros of Santa Cruz, California, his
sister Lis (George) McCrea of Ely, his twin brother Mark Speros of Denver,
Colorado, two grandchildren, Tony Licata Speros and Ruby Rudd Speros, and by
nieces and nephews including Gwen, Scott, and Marty McCrea.
Memorials may be made to his favorite charities, the Southern Poverty Law
Conference, Amnesty International, and the National Organization of Women.
