September

4th~Happy 7th Birthday Austiboo!

7th~Happy Birthday Mike!

8th~Happy Birthday Rick!

28th~Happy Birthday Mom!

This memorial website was created in the memory of our loved one, Tommy Koehler who was born on November 5th, 1977 in Baltimore, MD and passed away suddenly on October 10, 2004 at the age of 26 due to an automobile accident at the 95/495 split. Tom was a very special person & very loved. This was proven by the nearly 400 people that showed for his viewing. Tom was always a very imaginative child & that imagination stayed with him. Tom graduated from Patapsco High School in 1996.  From high school, he served the United States Army from 1996 until 2000 where he was stationed in Fort Sill, OK.  The Army which was tough for him at first, but he stuck it out & proved to be a good soldier making his family proud. He even earned a Commander's Top Gun Award. Upon returning from Fort Sill, Tom lived in Middle River with his parents Michael (Skip) & Darlene Koehler and younger sister Laura & younger brother Michael. He also has an older sister Michelle (Shelly) Smith and is Godfather to her son Austin. Tom was also a graduate of TESST college & was employed with Dunbar Armor.
           Tom loved his family & friends. He loved a variety of music from Metallica to Pearl Jam to The Beatles to Tim McGraw. He loved country music's Shania Twain and WWE's Lita. Some of his hobbies were going to karaoke with his friends, chilling at home while watching tv like The Simpsons, making up crazy stories and getting beat up by his younger brother & godson. Tom was a big movie fan. If there was a movie out he wanted to see that no one else did, he went and seen it by himself. He enjoyed life and did his best not to pass up chances to enjoy it and see the things he wanted to see. While his life was all too short, atleast he lived it . 



*Do not begrudge getting older, some never get the privledge.*



Austin's Guardian Angel

While Tom may no longer be physically with us, it's clear that he's watching over us all, especially his godson Austin. We didn't take Austin to Tom's viewing or funeral. He's a bright child with an excellent memory & we wanted him to keep the last time he saw Uncle Bibbis in his memory. That last time was after Austin & I had dropped Tom off after going to the mall. Tom stood at the back window smiling & waving to Austin. Austin did the same and said, "Bibbis stay." It's as if he knew.

We didn't explain alot in detail to Austin about Tom's passing. In fact, in the beginning, we didn't even mention Heaven or anything like it. On Halloween 2004, I took Austin trick or treating. We were alone & on the darkest part of our street talking about all the candy he got. Austin suddenly pointed up & yelled, "There's Bibbis!" he then asked me to hold him as he looked in the direction he just pointed, waved and said, "Hi Bibbis!" His face was so lit up & he was so excited.

Since then, Austin has had several experiences of "seeing" Tom. He knows now that Tom is in Heaven & told me the other day that he wants to go to Heaven to see Bibbis. He's also told me he wants to fly like Bibbis. Austin says these things & sees Tom out of the blue. We don't have to be talking about Tom for him to see or mention him. I know my son is very imaginative, but when he sees Tom, he becomes so excited & focused, it's impossible to believe he doesn't.

I feel truly blessed to have such a very special guardian angel watching over my son. And so blessed to have a child with the ability to communicate with someone he loved so very much. 






When you lose a parent, you lose your past.
When you lose a spouse, you lose your present.
When you lose a child, you lose your future.

A child that loses a parent is an orphan.
A man who loses his wife is a widower.
A woman who loses her husband is a widow.
There is no name for a parent that loses a child, for there is no word to describe this pain.






On behalf of Tom & our family we thank you all for your continued love & support. May your 2006 be filled with happiness & good health & may your New Year's be fun & safe.





Happy Birthday Austin (9/4/05)

Austin had a VERY special birthday guest. We were on the way home from the Fair Sunday (Austin's b/day). It was dark out & next thing we know, Austin starts talking, "Hi Uncle Bibbis! I miss you!" <he pauses>"Happy Birthday to you too!" He blows a kiss. He then proceeds to talk about his party the day before, the rides at the Fair & going to McDonalds taking pauses now & then as if he's listening. The whole time this is going on, he's staring out the window & looking upward. After awhile, he gets quiet. Rich asked who he was talking to & he said Uncle Bibbis. Rich asked if he was still there & Austin said he had to go. It's just amazing!





My "Dream" about Tom

The reason I put dream in quotes, is because it seemed so much more then just an ordinary dream. I believe I had the dream in the early morning hours of April 29th. In it, I was cleaning the boys room. I had picked up a stuffed Winnie the Pooh when I heard a tapping at the window. I looked & there was Tom. He smiled & waved for me to come out. I was very stunned as I was aware that Tom had died. I went outside & there he was. He looked so good, practically glowing & looked so happy. He said, "Hey Shell!" I said hi & asked him if he was alive. He smiled & said no, that he had "crossed over", but he wanted me to let everyone know how happy he is and how good he feels. I promised I would, then asked him if Austin really sees & talks to him. Tom laughed and said, "all the time". He then told me it was time for him to go. I told him we all loved & missed him so much. He said he knows we do & that he feels the same way about us, but he'll see us again someday. After he said that, he slowly faded away.

Right as Tom completely faded, Austin woke me up asking for something he's never slept with, his Pooh bear, the one that I had been holding in the dream when Tom tapped the window. It was exactly 5am. I can't help but think there was some significance there. Almost like Tom had woke Austin to wake me so that I could jot down the details. I was such a wonderful experience & so vivid and Tom looked so overwhelmingly happy. He asked me to tell you all & so I have.




*Thanks again to everyone for their love & support. Rather you posted a message, lit a candle, visited Tom's grave or simply remembered him, we appreciate it.




***I'm not really sure what to put under the 'Legacy' section of this site, so I thought that everyone could share poems or stories about Tom. If you have a poem and/or story you'd like to add, please email me. Thanks! Shelly***



 Something to ALWAYS remember...

As we grow up, we learn that even the one person that wasn't supposed to ever let you down probably will. You will have your heart broken probably more than once and it's harder every time. You'll break hearts too, so remember how it felt when yours was broken. You'll fight with your best friend. You'll blame a new love for things an old one did. You'll cry because time is passing too fast, and you'll eventually lose someone you love. So take too many pictures, laugh too much, and love like you've never been hurt because every sixty seconds you spend upset is a minute of happiness you'll never get back.



~We travel with gorgeous, weightless freedom through this almost sideways tunnel, never for one instantfeeling as if we've died but instead feeling more thrillingly alive than we could ever imagine here on earth.
~God's sacred white light waits to embrace us at the end of the tunnel, along with loved ones from every lifetime we've lived. Even our pets from every lifetime are there to greet us, so eager with the joy of seeing us that the human spirits have to wait their turn to get to us.
~Any unhappiness they experienced during their latest lifetime on earth, any negativity they carried around, any illnesses or infirmities or injuries they suffered, have all been resolved.
~We never need to spend a moment wondering if our deceased loved ones at Home are well and happy. In the blessed perfection of Home, they can't possibly be anything less.

*from Sylvia Browne's book 'Visits from the Afterlife'*