Nick Alba asked me to post this information regarding the burial service for his son, Thomas.
Dear Friends and Family,
This is the most difficult e-mail that we have ever had to send, but we must provide this information to all of those who may wish to pay their respects to Thomas and his family by attending his burial service.
Thomas Alba's burial will take place on Saturday, May 21st, at 12 Noon at the Mt. Tremper Rural Cemetery.
Directions:
From Phoenicia: The Mt. Tremper Rural Cemetery is located on Rt. 28, .7 mile south of the intersection of Rt. 28 & Rt. 212, on the left.
From Boiceville, The Cemetery is located 1.3 miles from the Onteora School, just past the Catskill Park Information kiosk, on the right.
Please be advised that the sign and the entrance to the cemetery are not very visible, so please proceed slowly and follow the directions carefully. This setting is a peaceful and appropriate resting place for Thomas. We recently discovered a writing of his that expresses his appreciation for this area. On March 30th, 2009, Thomas sent an e-mail to himself entitled " Catskill Connection", and here are some excerpts:
"I have felt connected to the Catskills in many ways throughout my whole life. To start out I was born and raised in Phoenicia my whole life. Its pretty clear that no one really has a choice where they grow up, and I cant necessarily say it would be my number one choice."
"It’s nice to have fours seasons and such a change between all of them. Each season has distinct qualities that describe it and give people different emotions, mostly from memories of past seasons. People who live in areas with the same climate all year round don’t get to experience this and it seems to create a sense of monotone. I also have somewhat grown to enjoy the Catskill mountain range surrounding me. It’s much different then living in an area such as Colorado or Texas where the sky is huge and everything seems so open. Living here I guess I could say gives me a feeling of security because like most people I feel like nothing will ever get to me up in the mountains. A feeling of secludedness comes along with that as well, being that it is such a rural area and I feel like there is so much I am missing out on."
"There are some things I love about this area that make it unique and give it sentimental value to me. I won’t forget the toothless drunk locals of Phoenicia, or the tribe of crazed homeless people that live behind the Eckerd’s Pharmacy in Woodstock during the warm months of the year. I’m always going to have good memories looking back at hanging out at the Woodland Valley bridge or just taking laps around the block that was our turf since I was ten years old. All in all I can’t decide if I would’ve grown up somewhere else if given the opportunity, because I haven’t lived anywhere else in my life yet. When I hopefully move on within the next year I know I will always remember the people and aspects that make this area original. This is something I would hope everyone who lives here feels at some point because it is taken advantage of a lot and is not always going to be available to us."
Thomas' family would like to take this opportunity to express our sincere gratitude to all of those who have given us so much compassion and kindness in this most difficult of times.
If you would like to share some thoughts about Thomas you may do so at Legacy.com: http://www.legacy.com/guestbook/dailyfreeman/guestbook.aspx?n=thomas-alba&pid=148828224&cid=full. Your statement will become a permanent online testimony to Thomas' memory.
Sincerely,
Nick, Gael and Nicholas Alba
Note: The photo of Tommy above was taken in 2005
