Letter from a Friend

Post by Tony Wright - Letter from Dr. Strickland
I would like to share another letter from one of Tommy's friends. The letter speaks for itself. He truly was a great man on a mission.


My Friend Tommy Owen,
I had the distinct honor of not only being able to call Tommy Owen my patient, but I was able to also call him my friend. Oftentimes his quite nature made it seem like Tommy was timid, but nothing could be further than the truth. His courageous battle with a ravaging illness never once stopped him from being a model father, a consummate professional in his field and more of a man than virtually anyone I’ve ever known. He didn’t complain or allow his health issues to keep him from being one of Hendersonville’s most heroic citizens.

His kind and often calming voice was what was heard when a call was placed to the Police Station. As a dispatcher I cannot think of a more pleasant yet powerful voice to fill that role. Pleasant because Tommy was always polite and gentle to those he communicated with but at the same time powerful because he had the God-given gift of being able to soothe simply by saying “How can I help you?”

Tommy Owen was a man of virtue and morals. He touched the lives of everyone he met and who knew him. It has been said that to touch the life of just one person for the better makes one’s character complete. If that is indeed true, Tommy was a man of unparallel character because he touched too many lives to name. In true Tommy fashion, he would never give himself kudos even though he certainly deserved it. That is but one of many things that made him a hero in my eyes as well as the eyes of so many. If there were more people like him, we would live in a world of great integrity and honor. He was truly a great, great man and my life was blessed for having known him.

William H. Strickland, Jr. M.D.
Hendersonville, North Carolina
Oct. 23, 2009