Lawrence Thomas Messick Jr., loved the beach
Lawrence Thomas Messick Jr., 56, passed away Wednesday, Jan. 12, after a three-month battle with COVID-19, in Auburn, Ala. He lived there with his wife and best friend of 27 years, Alice Bennett Messick. Previously, they lived in Clearwater, Fla. for 25 years.
Tommy was born Aug. 3, 1965, in Wilmington. He was the darling baby brother, joining four siblings who were 8, 13, 15, and 17 years older. He learned to sing “Hey, Hey We’re the Monkees” before “Twinkle Twinkle Little Star.” Tommy was a joyful, curious little boy and never changed.
He was a lifer at Tower Hill School, and some of his pre-kindergarten buddies have remained his best friends. His friend Jeff Liu perfectly described Tom. “Genuine, authentic. kind, and curious. A great son, brother, husband, and father. Tom had an infectious laugh that no one will forget. When he was interested in a topic, school, professionally, or otherwise, he latched on with passion and learned everything he could about it.”
His parents, Larry and Blanche Messick, were both educators who encouraged his wide-ranging interests from Kung Fu to playing the guitar to singing. When Tommy was young, his mother dreamed of Tommy becoming a concert violinist, but he preferred playing cowboy to practicing the violin. However, he had a wonderful voice and he did learn guitar from his father, who was a professional musician, and loved to join his daughter, Tori, and his son, Ty in singing and playing his favorite rock and roll songs.
After graduation from the University of Pennsylvania, Tommy pursued his interest in the financial markets and was passionate about developing unique investment strategies. Tommy was smart as a whip, and an avid learner about this world and beyond. He credited his success in every aspect of his life to the knowledge that he gained at the Church of Scientology. Any interest, he researched with a passion, and never stopped reading and learning.
The most important thing in Tommy’s life was his family. He was an incredibly proud father who was not only a father, but a best friend and confidant. He loved taking his wife, his children Ty and Tori, and their friends on a boat to waterski, wakeboard, wakeskate, and wakesurf. Walking and swimming at any beach were also some of his favorite pastimes. He also loved sports cars, the challenge of amassing multitudes of credit card points for free travel, and passing on his secrets to others. He loved his friends and neighbors in Centreville, Rehoboth, Clearwater, and Auburn. Many people remember him as the enthusiastic guy whose infectious smile and laughter filled the room and made everyone around him happier.
His surviving family includes his wife, Alice; his son, Tyler Thomas; daughter, Victoria Messick Fadeeva and her husband Tima Fadeev; siblings and their spouses, Andrea and Rodney Scott, Daniel Stokes and Susan Henderson, Mimi and Thomas Otto, and Valarie and Richard Elliott. Also surviving are his mother-in-law, Edna Bennett Pierce and her husband Augustus Duer Pierce Jr.; and a host of nieces, nephews, and extended family. He was predeceased by his mother, Blanche Pack Messick, his father, Lawrence Thomas Messick Sr., and his father-in-law, C. Eugene Bennett.
In lieu of flowers, please make a contribution to a charity of your choice that makes the world a better place for generations to come. Messages to the family may be sent to abm144@aol.com.
