ForeverMissed
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His Life

LAGUNA BEACH, CALIFORNIA

August 6, 2010

Thom was my dear friend for many years in the days he lived in Laguna Beach, California and the years of his living in Los Angeles and me in San Diego.
 
He introduced me to the joy and beauty of gardening and travel, philosophy, being an independent thinker rather than someone content living as others prescribed without a moment's true consideration. We spent hours upon hours talking, arguing, laughing, enjoying red wine on his beautiful garden patio, going to the beach playing smashball, traveling to San Francisco together and becoming friends sharing the loves and losses, victories and defeats of what I look back on now as a pretty remarkable time of our lives as friends. I was Thom's friend when he lost his soul mate Lloyd. Thom was with him the moment of his passing and I am convinced they are together right now. That makes me happy.
 
I introduced Thom to Country Western line and couples dancing sometime in the late 80s in Laguna Beach. Of course, it was like falling off a log for him. We became fast friends and he began instructing me on how to instruct dances. I learned from him about the structure of music, phrasing, and dance terms so that I could communicate more effectively. Basically, he taught me how to teach. I teach dance at a nightclub in San Diego to this very day. I use the skills Thom taught me and often use "Thommy-isms" (silly phrases he would use <"Heads up, Girls! Big Smiles!"> and it makes me smile and think of him...more so now.) We co-taught at a club in Laguna Beach and a club in Long Beach.
 
I'd like to share with everyone that what Thom contributed to my life in the way of dancing and teaching, living and loving, growing and learning.... continues to bless my life and the life of every one of the hundreds of thousands of people I have taught and shall teach to have fun with movement, energy, joy, good humor, beauty and connection. In this way...Thom will never die....ever.
 
Thanks Thommy. I'll never forget you.
 
Lee Armentrout

DANCE YEARS by Maureen

August 6, 2010

Thom and I worked for "Miss Bluebell" Margaret Kelly, an Irish born lady who would have been 100 years old on June 24th 2010. She passed away at 96 living to the fullest as did Thom also born in June. The line of girl dancers were and still are called The Bluebell Girls -- the men were called The Kelly Boys. (You can Google the name Bluebell or Lido and see where we worked).

   Thom loved "Miss" as he called her and worked sometimes assisting her to choreograph numbers for our tours. I think Thom joined the famous Paris Lido Show in 1968 or 69. I left the Lido for Vegas in 1966 and did not know it then but Thom was across the strip from me with Ginger Rogers in Hello Dolly.

    Thom and I first met in 1970 in Nairobi East Africa. I went out to replace the Line Captain there and Thom was one of two male dancers. We fast became friends and kept the show going for 6 more months and we all left.

   Thom and I went on different contracts for the next 6 months and I was in Brussels Christmas 1971 when Miss told me Thom was coming to replace one of the male dancers. So once again we were together I taught him the show in 2 days he was a quick study.

   After Brussels I went back to England and Thom to Geneva, Switzerland and wouldn't you know it a girl got hurt and they sent me to cover for her for a week or two and I got home two years later! In 1972 we took the show on a tour of Switzerland then Italy then South Korea Seoul and a tour of Japan on to Hong Kong Christmas 1972 then just when we thought we were going home I got word we were going to Turkey! Now it is 1973.

   During all these years touring with mostly the same people we were like family and Thom new the history and places to see in each place we went to he would tell us what he was going to see the following day and if any of us wanted to go with him, so during the days if we were not on a beach we were going Temple to Temple, Mosque to Mosque or shop till we dropped.

   Because I was in charge and supposedly knew what the troupe was doing next and had the passports and all information, when a member asked a question Thom always said “ASK MOTHER!” So from the beginning I was called Mother I called him my first son! and to this day I have friends who call me mother. Thanks Thom!

   We had a few weeks off after Turkey, then we went to Barcelona to rehearse and open a brand new show at a club called La Scala. It was a great show but then Miss asked who was interested in going to Las Vegas to open the new MGM hotel? about 10 of us said yes, so after 6 months in Barcelona we flew off to Las Vegas November 1973. Thom stayed only a few years in Hallelujah Hollywood a fantastic Vegas show By Donn Arden I think the best Vegas had ever seen. Siegfried and Roy were the main attraction and we all hung out together after the shows.


Life was fun and we hardly thought of the future we were fortunate to have such great friendships, friends who met each other’s families and did then become family.

Now as I speak to my friends of Thom's passing we remember what a great past we had and what a big part Thom played in it for all of us.

  Stories, I have so many and cannot begin to put them all down in words. Thom and I often spoke of writing a book it would have been colorful!


   When Thom lived in Laguna Beach I was a frequent visitor as were my family and our friends’ families. They were the best of times. Thom and Lloyd also came to visit me in Vegas. In the last few years I spoke on the phone with Thom and exchanged emails. I always got a Mothers Day card, usually hand made.


   As you gather together by Thom's grave as family to pay honor to Thom's life I hope you know that his extended family in Vegas and around the world think of him with love and such happy memories and he will be and is missed but never forgotten.

   This contract has ended but another one awaits and one day we will be sent to join the tour in heaven and the Show will go on.


Love, Mother   AKA Maureen.

YOUNG YEARS

August 1, 2010

  Thomas Paul Meuwissen (Mavison) was born on July 20, 1941 to Paul Herman Meuwissen and Mary Helen (Winkle) Meuwissen.  They resided in Chaska, MN where Thom grew up.  Six siblings, Ken Meuwissen (deceased), Shirley (Meuwissen) Kohls, Juneau, Alaska, LaMont Meuwissen, Sun Lakes, AZ, Robert Meuwissen (deceased), Sue (Meuwissen) Wathen, Pipestone, MN, and Mary Jane (Meuwissen, Glynn) Mohlin, Belle Plaine, MN. Thom and his sister Mary were the youngest, six years between them.  Sue was next 10 years between her and Thom the rest of the gang was pretty much out of the house and in the service of our country when Thom was little.

Thom grew up in a middle class family but had advantages including dance class, figure skating class, baton class, and any other art there was.  Mary remembers him as always fun and full of energy. His brother Bob married Bev Bowers and she was a dance instructor, ballerina, and baton twirler and had a big influence on Thom.

  The family had a great yard and he was always using his sister Mary as his dance partner and teaching her.  Thom marched with the drum and bugle corps and was the first male cheerleader at Chaska High School.  Mary remembers Thom leading the band

with his big white fuzzy hat and baton, high stepping.  Thom would twirl a fire baton at the football games. He was always the one that stood out. He was encouraged by his friends and his mother.

        Thom enjoyed life and had a lot of good memories from being a child in a great small town, lots of bike riding, roller skating and figure skating, swimming at the clay hole (he was a lifeguard also), going to Shima's drug store for ice cream sundaes, band concerts in the park on Friday nights. Thom’s family was a fishing family and there were lots of picnics at Schneider’s Shore. A big highlight was when his brother Bob bought a boat and everyone learned to water ski. That opened a whole new world of water -- it didn't take Thom long before he was skiing with one ski and doing tricks.  He picked strawberries in the summer, worked at the Rex Theater and de-tasseled corn, he was a paper boy and boy scout and went all the way to the Order of the Arrow.  He was a great kid.

     Thom went to Guardian Angels through 8th grade and then on to Chaska High School and went to the University of Minnesota for two years and also attended a School of Dance in Minneapolis.

     Thom traveled to New Yor which is where he was when his parents both passed away in March of 1966. Thom was home for his Mom's funeral but lost touch with family for a while after that.  He went on to Europe at age 24 or 25. Mary recalls she would receive little notes from him once in a while or a picture of himself.  When he was in Africa he sent her a drum made of Zebra skin and she still has it in her home to this day.

    When he came back to the United States and was at the MGM Grand in Las Vegas the family had more contact with him.  He would come home once in a while and his visits  were filled with stories of his adventures in the world of dance.

      Mary and her husband visited Thom in 2006 seeing him for the first time in probably 10 years after that visited with him every year and keeping in contact by phone and e-mail.  Mary reports she told him she wanted him to come home with them and they could have taken care of him and he would have been with family, but he chose to stay.