Tom Hale
December 26, 2022

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The family has requested in lieu of flowers memorials in Tom's name to the following organizations:

https://spcaoflakecounty.com/donations

https://theanimalleague.org/ways-to-help/make-a-cash-donation/

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Tom impacted countless lives as a teacher, a son, a brother, a loving husband, and a father to two
daughters & many dogs.

As a middle school Social Studies teacher at Chain of Lakes, Tom had an intentional way of impacting his
students beyond classroom academics. One of his proudest accomplishments was to establish the Social
Studies Gifted Program at his school early in his teaching career. Through this program, he created
project simulations (sims) for his students to practice life skills, problem-solving, decision-making, and
learn how the world works. It was important to Tom to impart values of individualism, self-confidence,
and creativity to his students. He often said his students gave him as much as he gave them.

Tom's lasting influence as a teacher is best described in excerpts from student letters he received
(below).

Tom was also a teacher to his loved ones. He effortlessly connected with those around him by putting
life into perspective to help others handle challenges small and large. Tom called himself an old soul,
and he had a meaningful way of understanding what really matters.

Tom taught that life is all about choices and taking responsibility. He taught about how to set yourself up
for success by deciding what "successful" is to you and creating a plan to get there. Tom maintained that
you can control your own path with the right outlook and tools.

One of the most special qualities about Tom was his sense of self and intrinsic value, and how he was
able to make others feel this way about themselves. He was a firm believer in living by what feels right
to you as an individual, rather than conforming to anyone else's expectations. With these values, he was
constantly lifting up others and he allowed so many to depend on him, especially his family.

Tom shaped a beautiful life & future for his wife and daughters. He helped them find their path by
guiding them through his words of wisdom on how to make decisions and know your self-worth. He also
poured love into homecooked meals and spread joy through witty humor. Tom was their favorite person
to talk to, and his 28- & 29-year-old daughters still called him out of the blue for life advice.

After Tom's heart surgery in July 2022, he was living his best life. He worked relentlessly on recovery and
enjoyed playing golf, lots of cooking, rehabilitative exercise, and retirement with his wife. His perfect
day was to play a round of golf, come home to his dogs, watch golf or football with his wife & kids, and
talk about life.

As put by his brother, Tom is still teaching us. Perhaps Tom's last great example for us is how hard he
tried when he was challenged. We all feel inspired by Tom to keep going and honor him by doing better
than we ever have before.

Tom did not want a service, so please share a message or a story in the guestbook if you would like. In
lieu of cards or flowers, please consider a donation to a charity Tom was passionate about (South Lake
Animal League and SPCA Lake County).

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A note from Tom's Mother & Father:

"We are so proud having been Tom's father and mother. He was one of the wisest people we know. He
could always size up any complex life problem or world event and propose an appropriate solution or
likely outcome. His knowledge of world history and current events was astounding. After retirement
Patty and I moved back to Florida. Even with Tom in Clermont and me in Pinellas Park, we still got
together several times each year to play golf. He witnessed one of my hole in one's, but I could never get
close to his score. Those will be cherished memories. Patty and I have no words to express how this has
shattered our hearts."

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Excerpts from Student Letters to Mr. Hale

"Perhaps the most important lesson you taught me is to embrace my true self...During a recent AP Lit
analysis on what it meant to be an individual, I could not help but think of how you morally rejected
conforming to society's expectations and abandoning who you really are. It took an embarrassing
amount of time for me to realize that I shouldn't melt into the rest of the crowd, and I should be proud to
be an individual, in a world of what you affectionately called 'sheep.'

The giftedness unit was never about how to be smart, but rather, about how to be you. One can be
everything that society expects, but ultimately it is useless if you are not happy with it. With your
influence, I was finally able to recognize who I am as a person and achieve what I consider to be my peak
potential."

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"You have taken some of us from ultimate hysteria and at least attempted to calm us down. You gave us
new civilizations, jobs, and made some of us kings and queens. You gave us the gift of imagination and
relief from crazy teachers, which is probably the best thing for us. We have chosen or decided not to
choose what we want to do with our lives mostly because of you."

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"You shaped my mindset and improved my outlook on life through confirmation of my method of
believing, with your lessons and words. By this, I mean the way to stay strong in beliefs, yet have an open
mind which is a very difficult thing to do in today's society.

You showed me how to prove my thinking and the process in order to make sound decisions that
appeases the masses, allowing for easier communication with others. The amount your lessons, planned
and subtle, appear in my life is unbelievable and continuous daily as I have mini recollections where I
attack a problem similar to the way we did in your class.

You helped me learn the most about myself and how I can control much of my life…I think the most
important lesson I learned in your class was to listen. In every assignment, sim, or project that we had
you would always leave subtle hints in your word choice, and I always tried to pick up on them."

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"I will always remember how connected you were to all of us and made us feel so comfortable being
ourselves.

I loved learning in the different ways you taught. The sims made your class so different from any other
class I've had. Your class felt like a family and no matter who I had in your class, it was a family.
Especially since we had your class for three years, it made your class feel so special because we all got so
close and made so many memories."

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"I just can't begin to think where I would be if it weren't for your class…During 6th grade, I didn't feel like I
belonged. I can still vividly remember talking to you about the Egyptian sims and you said, "I don't know
why you are so insecure with yourself," which truly opened my eyes.

I realized that I sought out validation as I thought I didn't deserve to be in the (gifted) class with peers I
had always thought were significantly smarter than me. Yet, through each class sim, I grew more
confident in myself and my abilities. For that I am forever grateful.

I also feel like your class was where I fully found myself...I stepped up and became the leader (on group
projects). I believe that I became a better person as a result of the Sims...The Sim where we chose a
profession and had to make a budget on how we were going to survive in particular, put a great deal of
things into perspective on which career would provide the lifestyle I wanted and how to manage my
finances. To this day, my dad still brings up that sim whenever I talk about my future endeavors.

I just wanted to tell you what an impact you have had on me, both academically and personally. You
were constantly there if I needed reassurance or support and I am beyond grateful. Thank you for being
an amazing teacher and enabling me to find myself."

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https://spcaoflakecounty.com/donations

https://theanimalleague.org/ways-to-help/make-a-cash-donation/