T h o ma s A . E l y , a native of California, grew up in Marin County and died in Berkeley on
May 17, 1997. At Dartmouth he majored in economics and was a member of Sigma Chi and
Dragon. After serving two years as an officer in the Navy, he settled in the San Francisco Bay
area and for his last 30 years lived in Orinda, where he was an avid 49ers fan. He was a
CPA for 35 years and worked for Price Waterhouse and other Bay Area firms. In 1980 he
opened his own CPA practice in Oakland, where he worked until shortly before his death. He
was survived by his father, his brother, his wife, two sons, and two granddaughters.
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Tom died in 1997, 40 years after his graduation from Dartmouth. I met him when he was a very
dashing young naval officer. Our first date was to attend Jack King's engagement party, and
our second date was to attend his wedding, where Tom was officiating as best man. I rode
down to the event with Tom's parents and was very impressed that they sat next to each other
on the bench seat of their car like two teenagers. At the wedding, Tom handled his best-man duties
with great finesse, and I was duly impressed with his speech. I found out later that he had been
the best man at his brother's wedding when he was only in high school, and he had completely
blown it — so he was making sure that he didn't repeat his faux pas this time around.
After leaving the Navy, he realized, although he had a degree in economics from
Dartmouth, that he knew absolutely nothing about business. So he took a course in
accounting, where the professor told him he had a knack for it. Before long he was grinding
away at Price Waterhouse, and we were newly married and living in a tiny San Francisco
apartment. A succession of jobs followed, one of which took us (which now included our
two boys) to New York, where we stayed for what I still call "seven glorious months." Then
a new startup company made him one of those classic offers you can't refuse, and we moved
back to the Bay Area. This company, which had boasted of its excellent track record,
promptly went bankrupt. Another succession of accounting jobs followed, and finally Tom
decided that the ideal situation would be to have his own CPA practice. The right niche at
last!
During his lifetime, he had such a succession of jobs, hobbies, and interests that I told him it
was amazing that he stuck with just one wife for all those years. At various times he was
interested in sailing (a seaworthy Venture 21), painting (still-lifes, not houses), carpentry,
motorcycles and sports cars, making stained glass, and cooking. At the time of his death, he
owned a spiffy 1931 Model A Town Car and was working on a history of Sir Francis Drake.
The cocktail hour was always important to him, and I think I should note here that his last
vodka tonic was when Jack King came to visit during his final illness. Tom was a terrific
guy—a loyal friend, a super husband, a great dad —with a wicked dry sense of humor. I'll miss
him forever.
Cinda Ely
Cinda.Ely@comcast.net