In Memory Deceased Class

William Thomas Joines (William Thomas Joines)

                                            William Thomas (Tom) Joines

On the afternoon of Aug. 8, 2023, William (Tom) Joines passed away at the Mission Hospice House in Redwood City after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer.

A native of North Carolina, he attended East Tennessee State and the University of North Carolina, graduating in 1969. He served five years in the Army at Fort Carson at Colorado Springs then traveled to California in 1975, where he began a 32-year career in the pharmaceutical industry, starting in sales then advancing to management.

It was on a blind date in 1978 when Tom met his wife, Vicki, and they spent their 45 years together traveling the world. Tom’s great passion was travel, and he took pride in having visited 139 countries and all seven continents. Upon retirement, he began working for Bay World Travel in Half Moon Bay and arranged countless memorable trips for his many friends from all over the country.

Tom will be dearly missed by all who knew him and loved him. He will be long remembered for his sense of humor, enjoyment of a good glass of red wine and a cigar, and sharing stories of his many adventures.

When Tom was in sixth grade, his teacher, Mrs. McNeil, became a huge influence in his life. She encouraged him to set lifetime goals to achieve and introduced him to Robert Frost’s poems, “The Road Not Taken” and “Stopping By Woods on a Snowy Evening," which became his personal roadmap. He thought about these poems often in his lifetime, and fondly referred to Robert Frost as his “old friend Bobby.”

Tom is survived by his wife, Vicki, sister-in-law Jo Ann Jernigan, and beloved niece Jina Jernigan.

There will be a small family service at his gravesite up in Corvallis, Oregon, then a celebration of life in Half Moon Bay in October.