Sanya wears jewelry set #109 in honor of her father-in-law, Tom Rude
Tom Rude’s smile could fill a room. His demeanor was so rich, jubilant, and warm that a college-granted nickname of “Buddha”—owed also to his robust physical nature—seemed as tailored to Tom as a well-cut suit. By the time that I met Tom, in the fall of 2004, he was a few years into life with Alzheimer’s and had lost his hefty frame, but certainly not his big personality.
From the moment that I entered the Rude house, even though Joe and I were only just friends at the time, I was treated as family. Through the years, as Joe and I became more serious and I eventually became family, Tom’s condition naturally worsened. He became long and lean, and slowly lost the ability to remember a discussion that had taken place just a few minutes before. The Alzheimer’s slowly ate away at his brain. But Tom held strong and did not succumb to the more typical progression of the disease, when confusion triggers anger and animosity and, in particularly awful cases, violence. Rather, Tom held onto his Buddha proclivities and, when not sure of how to respond to a discussion or situation, he always had a smile to give. Sometimes a smile and a shrug of the shoulders to say, “Not sure about all of this, but I’m still happy.”
I will always remember Tom in this way, as a cheerful soul that couldn’t be more pleased about being a daddy and husband, and who was always up for an adventure so long as he was accompanied by those that he loved. The memory of Tom will always live strong in my heart.
Maya Adele, Tom’s granddaughter, who he was never able to meet, has adopted Tom’s nickname. Little Buddha has the belly to match the name, at least currently; and Joe and I are eagerly hopeful that she will one day develop the same joyful and warm demeanor as her grandpa, Buddha Tom Rude.
– Sanya Carley
Liz and Tom’s granddaughter Maya, one of our youngest jewelry models.