RIP Yanks2014 (Tom Arena)

[Poisoned Youth]

Hey Joe, thanks so much for adding this perspective. I think everything you said rings true to many of us who had conversed with him online And/or in person.

I think I can speak for most that we are very sorry for your loss, not just Thomas but your father and brother as well. Stay strong. You're always welcome around here. You'll find many Rush fans.

[luvyesmusic]

Joe, I'm sorry for the losses of both your brothers and your dad. :-(

Bet you didn't know your brother was the most famous one in the family. Now you do. ;-)

[Camelogue]

Thanks for the post Joe, a lump has formed in my throat and I think of lost loved ones.

RIP Yanks 2014

[progeezer]

I'm sure that everyone who posted here previously, whether or not they post again, feels grateful for your perspective, Joe. Thank you and may your family find peace.

[MYSTERIOUS TRAVELLER]

I'm sure that everyone who posted here previously, whether or not they post again, feels grateful for your perspective, Joe. Thank you and may your family find peace.

[jglfan]

Hi Joe, thanks for posting, condolences for the loss of your father and two brothers. Peace.

[Scott Bails]

Thanks for joining us and responding, Joe. As you can see, Thomas touched many lives, in his own way. I appreciate you sharing your memories and perspective, and I wish peace to you and your family over your losses.

[Yves]

Let me echo what others have stated already Joe...

Yes, your brother could get under people's skin but he was a fixture here and his passing has diminished this website and the prog community as a whole.

[Gruno]

After reading some of the comments on Tom's (Yank2014) obituary, I had to log in and see what others said. - I am Tom's brother, Joe. THANK YOU all for the kind words and the not so kind words.

I think it's great that you have taken the time to respond here. That says a lot about you and your brother.

[Don Arnold]

Joe,

I expressed condolences for your loss earlier but will do so again directly to you now. Your family has been hit hard. Hopefully knowing that Tom (many of us just called him Yanks!) had a supportive community here at Progressive Ears (in addition to what is obviously a supportive and loving family) offers some solace amidst the grief.

And do stick around if you enjoy music even half as much as Yanks did, so long as you can tolerate the plethora of Yes related threads that seem to stick to the main forum like glue.

[Pythonphan]

Like I said, Yanks had over 17,900 songs on his i-Pod. It will be sometime before I can get through them. So many of his recordings were CDs that he very carefully categorized by group, album, year and country of origin. He has binders and binders of CDs as well as Rubbermaid Tubs with the CDs carefully stored. I think he may have made MP3s of nearly all of them - he may have more...
Besides that he also collected Movies and had hundreds of them on DVD. Going through his Concert Ticket stub collection, I found the concerts he took me to as well as so many others I had no idea he was attending. They date back to 1981.

[Wisdomview]

Thanks for joining us and responding, Joe. As you can see, Thomas touched many lives, in his own way. I appreciate you sharing your memories and perspective, and I wish peace to you and your family over your losses.

[adewolf]

RIP

[Digital_Man]

Like I said, Yanks had over 17,900 songs on his i-Pod. It will be sometime before I can get through them. So many of his recordings were CDs that he very carefully categorized by group, album, year and country of origin. He has binders and binders of CDs as well as Rubbermaid Tubs with the CDs carefully stored. I think he may have made MP3s of nearly all of them - he may have more...
Besides that he also collected Movies and had hundreds of them on DVD. Going through his Concert Ticket stub collection, I found the concerts he took me to as well as so many others I had no idea he was attending. They date back to 1981.

Not surprising since a lot of prog fans are also big movie fans. Many of us but not all like to have at least some kind of physical medium for our music. Storing music and dvds too for that matter can be tricky and I remember a thread in which Tom(Yanks)was trying to figure out the best way to store cds. Anyway, as others have said on here he will be missed. The fact that this thread is already 9 pages goes to show how much of a fixture he was on here. Joe, I hope you stick around and discover some of this great music that was very important to your late brother.

[ronmac]

Thomas would have loved that game tonight.

[JKL2000]

^^ My theory is that Jeter retired because he knew Yanks20nn was no longer with us.

[Casey]

Yes, wherever he is, Tom must be smiling pretty smugly. And good for him!

[ronmac]

^^ My theory is that Jeter retired because he knew Yanks20nn was no longer with us.

Well, that's quite prophetic, since Jeter announced his retirement in February.

[JKL2000]

Well, that's quite prophetic, since Jeter announced his retirement in February.

Well, I didn't know about it till yesterday, so let me have my little fantasy...

Every time a Yankees captain retires, an angel gets its wings.

[Casey]

Oh crap... Ear worm. AND a movie spoiled!

Sorry Tom.

[Rune Blackwings]

Thank you, Joe, for sharing about your brother! He was a cool guy! I think I was one of the few that matched him with views on politics here. Hope you stick around! Rush fans are always welcomed!

[Pythonphan]

He would have loved to see Jeter's last day. My wife and I are Mets fans so we CONSTANTLY fought on Yankee and Mets rivalry. This goes back to us being kids and betting on who would have the better season would win a dinner. Since it was the 80s, I was winning all the time. We started with Roy Rodgers and moved up to Ruth's Chris. He made me go broke in the 90s. A lot of that having Jeter on their team.