Telling the story always starts the same: “You might think this is odd and maybe a bit creepy, but…”
It ends with tears, laughter and a sense of awe that one person could impact the lives of so many others in so many places, long after he’s gone.
TOM Brigham died on Sept. 30, 2021, at the age of 70.
That’s not the end of his story. Far from it.
Since his death, Tom has traveled across the world. Friends and family have taken more than two dozen tiny plastic tubes filled with a portion of his ashes to places he loved to visit and others he longed to see.
First, his ashes were spread on Canal Street in New Orleans. Then he traveled to Biloxi, Miss.
He’s been to the Florida Keys. He’s scattered in multiple places in Hawaii: Maui and on Diamond Head in Oʻahu.
He’s spread over a couple of places on the Las Vegas strip and visited the Raiders’ stadium during a preseason Chiefs game.
He’s in Lake Tahoe and Crater Lake. He’s near Area 51.
He’s somewhere in the Atlantic where he used to go deep sea fishing.
He’s traveled to Hidalgo and Mexico City in Mexico.
He was part of a ceremonial scattering in Ancud, Chile, and on a volcano in Osorno.
He’ll be going to Kenya soon.
He even rode on a float in the Rose Bowl Parade in Pasadena, Calif.
BEFORE we talk about Tom’s death, let’s learn a little about his life.
He graduated from Iola High School in 1969 and served in the Vietnam War with the U.S. Navy.
He worked for the U.S. Postal Service, did woodworking and was a partner in the family’s oil business.
