Tribute Wall
Provide comfort for the family by sending flowers or planting a tree in memory of Mr. Robert Tom Yew.
Guaranteed hand delivery by a local florist
Loading...
D
Derek Lobban lit a candle
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
//s3.amazonaws.com/skins.funeraltechweb.com/tribute-gestures/Candle10.png
My condolences to the entire Tom Yew family on the passing of Mr. Tom Yew.
Mr. Tom Yew, I will always remember you for your intellect and energy.
There was never a dull moment with you!
Thank you for all the learning experiences!
God's guidance in your next journey.
Respectfully,
Derek Lobban
R
Ricardo Bernard Escalante posted a condolence
Wednesday, May 19, 2021
Uncle U-Sing
He was an Uncle of uncommon depth, a depth carefully concealed beneath a veneer (mask might be a better word!) of flippant nonchalance. People like that not only feel deeply, but, unfortunately, suffer deeply. That would partially explain his deeply private nature: at some point he must have realized that it was the best way to protect himself from unnecessary suffering, suffering not only from the world at large, but also from those who were not as sensitive as he was. The sudden death of his father in his adolescence would have obviously contributed to this. A man of few words, he had little time for small talk, even less for frivolity. And he noticed everything!
I remain grateful to him for one of the most poignant and selfless compliments anyone has everyone given me. It was delivered immediately after my speech at my brother’s wedding, in two brief, staccato-like sentences. The first, in four words, no verb, typical of the Trinidad dialect which, unlike some, he never thought necessary to discard, despite his erudition. The second, even shorter, three words, dispensing with the personal pronoun for emphasis. He was smiling, indeed beaming. And one could see the obvious pride, and yes, love, in his eyes. He would have been aware, of course, that he was one of the few in the family capable of making such a bold and iconoclastic statement. When he said it, I was stunned, so unexpected was the compliment. And as I studied for the Priesthood in Rome, the compliment would at times come back to me. And I marveled at his foresight, his intuition. The depth of my Uncle’s soul. He obviously thought that it was something that, even if I may not need to, I nevertheless should hear. It was his way of saying, “Ricky, do not be afraid to walk your own path . . . do not let others impose on you a burden which may not only be unfair, but worse, untrue.” And it did have a somewhat liberating effect on me. That was obviously his intention, at least partially. And I remain grateful to this day.
His modus vivendi was a silent and powerful repudiation of the world we live in, a world with its false glamour, where all one’s efforts are directed to “appearing,” as opposed to “being.” Uncle U-Sing was what he was. He did not “appear to be” what he “was not.” His willing embrace of a self-effacing anonymity reflected a spirit deeply influenced by the Christian ethos “beware of practicing your piety before men in order to be seen by them . . . do not let your left hand know what your right hand is doing.” (Mt 6: 1-4). But more importantly it reflected a belief in the transcendent, in a world that extends beyond the hic et nunc (“here and now”), a belief in a world where all our hidden good actions are seen by our “Father who sees in secret [and]will reward us.” (Mt 6: 6). He was one of those who had little to fear of Christ’s admonition that when we die “nothing will be hidden that shall not be made manifest, nor anything secret that shall not be known.” (Lk 8: 17)
On the eve of my Ordination to the Priesthood almost three years ago, he sent me a beautiful letter which again revealed his uncommon depth. He noted all the obvious influences on the path I had chosen, (my mother's (his sister) sudden death, for example), but he also included one that often goes unnoticed, “secular humanism,” which, he added, “while not strictly religious in nature are nevertheless pragmatic virtues and have contributed to your overall human and spiritual and spiritual development and influenced your decision to dedicate your life to the service of God.” While he still remains for me a deeply enigmatic figure, (can one ever really know a soul of such depth), I suspect that those words could be applied to him as well, as to his other siblings.
He ended the letter in the typical Uncle U-Sing fashion, capturing what he wanted to say in a manner which also reflected his deep literary culture, “it is a far, far better thing that you do, than you have ever done.”
It is perhaps fitting that he died during this year of St. Joseph, which was proclaimed by Pope Francis late last year. For it is St. Joseph, the foster father of Jesus, it is he who best incarnates the life of anonymous service which characterized Uncle U-Sing’s life. Like St. Joseph, he was a devoted and selfless husband, father, and then grandfather. In this way he responded to the reason God put him here on earth.
Yes, I regret never being able to ask him the multiple questions I would have loved to ask him were he still alive, to plumb the depths of that mind. But, then again, it is something to look forward to when we meet in the world that is to come. In the meantime, may God Bless you, Uncle U-Sing, and may perpetual light shine on you. May you rest in peace. Fr. Ricky Escalante.
C
Carol Ann Duprey posted a condolence
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
Sincere condolences to the family of Robert Nelson Tom Yew.
May he Rest In Peace.
From Carol and Roger Duprey
C
Carletta Davis posted a condolence
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
My sincere and deepest sympathy to The TomYew Family
Tommy was the Airport Manager when I worked for BWIA and also Air Jamaica in YYZ
My memories of Tommy was very Pleasant and a wonderful personality.
Always helpful and caring
RIP Tommy and may God Bless your entire family
Carletta Davis
U
Ursula lit a candle
Tuesday, May 18, 2021
//s3.amazonaws.com/skins.funeraltechweb.com/tribute-gestures/Candle10.png
God is your refuge, and underneath are His everlasting arms. Deut. 33:27.
Sincere condolences Pasty, Marc and the Tom Yew family
Ursula and Mallory Hosam
P
Pat Agar posted a condolence
Sunday, May 16, 2021
Deepest sympathy to the family from Ken and myself. We both have nothing but good memories of Nelson (as we knew him)
F
Francis Ragbir lit a candle
Sunday, May 16, 2021
//s3.amazonaws.com/skins.funeraltechweb.com/tribute-gestures/Candle2.png
Condolences to my dear friend Patsy and family. May he Rest In eternal peace
P
Patricia Rawlins lit a candle
Saturday, May 15, 2021
//s3.amazonaws.com/skins.funeraltechweb.com/tribute-gestures/Candle.png
R
Richard Doon lit a candle
Saturday, May 15, 2021
//s3.amazonaws.com/skins.funeraltechweb.com/tribute-gestures/Candle5.png
My wife and I (Richard and Wendy Doon) sends our deepest sympathy and condolences to his wife Patricia and family. It was a pleasure knowing and working with him at BWIA. May his soul rest in peace.
B
Bernadette lit a candle
Saturday, May 15, 2021
//s3.amazonaws.com/skins.funeraltechweb.com/tribute-gestures/Candle3.png
