Tommy’s Story
Thomas George Jones was born on Saturday 9th December 1989 Princess Alexandra Hospital in Harlow at 8.38pm sharing the same birthday as his Great Grandad George & who actually named him after his dad
Tommy as we all called him was the second Born to Melanie Hopwood & Ambrose Jones & was a healthy 7lb 14oz the biggest out of all his brothers and sisters. Tommy had an older brother Ambrose , Ammy as we called him was just 11 months older both born the same year
then a brother Joe , two younger sisters Naomi & Delicia , 2 Angel sisters & a baby brother Alfie who he loved very much , & since Tommy has passed he has had 1 more brother & sister
Tommys father was from the Travelling community , over the years they lived in a Trailer ( caravan) & a house , Tommy was lucky he lived the life as a Traveller & a non Traveller, & he was proud of that I know.
As a baby he was every bit the mummy's boy. I could not leave him anywhere. I could only sneak away if his brother Ammy was close by & Tommy wasn't looking.
Tommy was a lazy baby, by the time he was walking at 15 months it was like having twins (Ammy & Tommy) They were always dressed the same, copying each other and getting up to mischief- they were also both very keen on an early start to the day. Sometimes up as early as 4am blasting music on their little stereo wot they had in their bedroom
Tommy loved music from a early age, he also loved He-man, Powerrangers, Teenage Mutant Ninja Turtles . His favourite was Wrestling - either with action figures or with his brother & friends. His Uncle Jack called the boys 'The Stiner Brothers'- they were a little tag team on their own.
When Tommy was young we moved around quite a bit, he didn't mind, he saw it as an adventure. Due to this Tommy attended a few different schools- his main school was Hare Street. Had a bit of time at Little parndon , Latton green unit , millwards , Mark hall , a couple of schools out of Harlow & Chelmsford was the last one which he got an achievement in Maths & English.
Tommy never really took to school life even from nursery age. I remember he was at Nursery when he learned to ride a two wheeler bike. Shortly after that we were at a bootsale when Tommy spotted this little white bike, he just jumped on and took off peddling away. I ended up buying it for him for £6, he took it to nursery everyday & would barely ever go out without it.
Tommy loved animals, although he felt he had a phobia of small furry animals so he wasn't too keen on Mice, Gerbals, Hamsters or Rats. Dogs were his favourite animals followed by Chickens.
Tommy used to pretend to be a Dog when he was a little boy. He had a real connection & understanding with Dogs, he could train any Dog- whatever it's nature.
He was a very sporty, active child playing football, basketball & going to karate & cubs & when older he loved going to the gym but his favourite was boxing but Tommy was a Haemophiliac blood disorder so that ment he could never take the sport up properly but he was very good that’s for sure
HARLOWS TOP BOY he was called
He was extremely lovable , loyal & popular from a very young age & this was true throughout his years growing up but he didn’t just talk to anybody he had to know & like you to do that , his funeral spoke volumes as to how popular he was as their was over 1500 people there
Tommy worked when he could , weekends on the fairgrounds all different places & once he was legally allowed to go full time he was straight to work with his cousin Ben who said he was 1 of the best labourers he had ever had ,
Tommy only went abroad 3 times
Malta where we went on boat trips & to the blue lagoon , Majorca where he paraglided & Lanzarote where he scuba dived
2 days before Tommy got taken from us he found out he was going to be a dad & he was happy about it & was going to take his responsibilities very seriously which I definitely know he would of done & would of made a fantastic father to his Son which he is also called Tommy & is now 16 years old the same age his father was , Tommy boy as we call him is the double of his dad in more ways than one & is doing great just passed his exams & going to start Norwich college as he also plays high level football for Norwich under 17s which we are all very proud of & we know his dad is watching over him always
Tommy was very much like the description of his starsign written bleow.
"The Centaur" Short Summary
Sagittarians are fun loving, generous and extremely friendly. They very rarely tell lies, in fact they're so open about everything, the whole world knows what they're up to. They have marvellous intuitions that they should take notice of. They're pretty clever because they're so interested in everything. They can be a bit rude but that's only because they're very honest and will say exactly what they think. They love travel, fast cars and horse riding. They also love spending money, so a credit card should be avoided. Long Summary Sagittarians are great company because they are interested in everything and everyone. Broad-minded and lacking in prejudice, they are fascinated by even the strangest of people. With their optimism and humour, they are often the life and soul of the party, while they are in a good mood. They can become quite downhearted, crabby and awkward on occasion, but not usually for long. They can be hurtful to others because they cannot resist speaking what they see as the truth, even if it causes embarrassment. However, their tactlessness is usually innocent and they have no desire to hurt.
Sagittarians need an unconventional lifestyle, preferable one that allows them to travel. They cannot be cooped up in a cramped environment and they need to meet new people and to explore a variety of ideas during theirs days work. Money is not their god - they will work for a pittance if they feel inspired by the task. Their values are spiritual rather than material. Many are attracted to the spiritual side of life and may be interested in the church, philosophy, astrology and other new age subjects. Higher education and legal matters attract them because they need to feel free and unfettered but they can do well with a self-sufficient and independent partner. Despite all this intellectualism and need for freedom, Sagittarians have a deep need to be cuddled and touched and they need to be supported emotionally.
On the 29th August 2006 he found out he was going to be a dad which he was happy about. But then he went out on the 31st August to London to visit his cousin and at 11 pm in the evening I got a phone call to say that he had been stabbed. I jumped straight in the car, picked up a friend that lived in the same street as ours and we drove to London. I was driving at first but then I got another phone call to say that it was critical. I had to pull over and my friend took over the driving. When we got to the hospital (East Ham Hospital) we were made to wait in a room, which felt like forever. Just after 2.50 am (in the morning) the doctor told us Tommy had died. They wouldn’t let us see him. I tried my hardest to let the doctors and nurses let me see him, but because of the situation and what had happened they said I couldn’t, this was at 5.30 in the morning. I was persuaded by family to leave the hospital and go home.
On the 2nd September 2006 we had to go and identify his body which was behind a screen in East Ham Hospital (Mortuary).
The week before Tommy passed, he seemed to connect with everyone in the family to tell them the news that he was going to be a father for the first time.
Tommy’s son (who is also called Tommy) was born at 5.29 in the morning on the 10th May 2007. He is now 16 years old.
