Tom Gero was a much-loved member of Communitas. We learned recently that he passed away two weeks ago after a short illness.
Tom had been a member of Communitas from back in the day when we were still called Montreal Southwest Community Ministries (MSCM). He was a faithful participant at both Open Door and Table Talk – when Table Talk was held at our offices at Notre Dame. Tom would arrive early for Open Door and make sure that the coffee was ready for when people started showing up. At Table Talk, he had his special chair in the corner that everyone knew was ‘Tom’s chair.’ There he would sit, sometimes appearing to be asleep as the hubbub of Table Talk took place around him.
Although he was a very quiet person, Tom had many friends – and a sly sense of humour. His understated but warm personality drew people to him, and even in the times when he was going through especially hard times, friends and even strangers would stop by to talk with him, bring him food or money and generally show him love. We even heard that someone placed a chair outside a Provigo he was known to frequent so that he could be more comfortable.
His friends at Communitas will miss him greatly.
Rest in Peace, Tom.