4 Responses to “Thomas Classon, July 16, 2008”

1. Marcie LaVanway says:

   July 18, 2008 at 5:45 pm

   I worked with Tom at Para-Phernalia. Tom and Jim kept the music playing all day long. This song by Jackson Browne was my favorite, these lyrics from “For a Dancer” say it all for me…

   Keep a fire burning in your eye
   Pay attention to the open sky
   You never know what will be coming down
   I dont remember losing track of you
   You were always dancing in and out of view
   I must have thought you’d always be around
   Always keeping things real by playing the clown
   Now you’re nowhere to be found

   I dont know what happens when people die
   Cant seem to grasp it as hard as I try
   Its like a song I can hear playing right in my ear
   That I can’t sing
   I can’t help listening
   And I can’t help feeling stupid standing round
   Crying as they ease you down
   cause I know that you’d rather we were dancing
   Dancing our sorrow away
   (right on dancing)
   No matter what fate chooses to play
   there’s nothing you can do about it anyway

   Fly free Tom.
2. Tim Hunt says:

   July 22, 2008 at 6:20 pm

   I made hundreds of skydives with Classon and rode dirt bikes with him for hundreds of hours. He was a very gifted person both physically and mentally and I will always remember him. I watched him open at about 100 feet and land in the VIP’s parking lot in Issaquah after having a high speed malfuntion (bag lock)…he was jumping barefoot and landed in a cloud of dust…he emerged from the dust laughing. Just one of many amazing near misses he had in his lifetime. Tom managed to survive the infamous Loadstar crash in Arlington Washington and was the last person out of the aircraft that survived. An amazing person he was, and I will always remember the times we had. Tom, thanks for the great times. Sincerely, Tim Hunt
3. Debbie Round says:

   August 1, 2008 at 3:54 am

   I met Tom at Western Washington State College in 1969. He walked into Professor Homer Weiner’s art class late, barefoot and wearing the world’s oldest pair of Levis. It was love at first sight. He was a talented artist and deeply intense individual. I shall always remember his mischievious grin and sweet voice. It saddens me deeply to hear of his passing.
4. Tortoise Tom Anderson says:

   October 22, 2009 at 11:06 pm

   Ahh yes Tom Classon came into my life when I was 20. 1970 and became a close friend. He always called me Tortoise or a long name that went something like this: tortutamungalutimizer…yes Tom was a challanged genius in more ways than one could ever know. In the early 70′s we were room mates at CRAZY Daves place off 148th, the skydiving party house. My girl friend at the time was Julie Reinmiller and the three of us had many great memories, sadly, or perhaps gladly, both Julie and Tom glide in the heavens together with the fallen falcons of the Issaquah BANDITS…long live the memories. I want to say Hi to the others that wrote. I have many thoughts, one great one were Tom’s Angel wings. He made a set of strap on, aluminum riveted wings that had metal individul feathers. Perfectly crafted. He must have spent weeks and months building it. Perhaps he was inspired by the 1,000,000 aluminum coke cans CD had lined up in the house. Well another one is the straight down sky dive shot will always be famous too. For those who know the picture, it is a thrilling track-dive to the earth…and a peice of past closed and never forgotten. Bless you Tom Classon master craftsman, artist, pilot, skydiver, and FRIEND…Tom