ANNA MARIA ISLAND – Longtime Anna Maria Island Sun reporter Tom Vaught passed away on Friday, Feb. 20, at the age of 78.
Tom retired from the Sun in 2020 as he was beginning to cope with the onset of Parkinson’s disease and dementia – conditions that were starting to impact his ability to do what he loved: being a community newspaper reporter.
Tom passed away while receiving hospice care at the Aviata at Palma Sola Bay skilled nursing facility in west Bradenton. He is survived by his beloved wife, Darcy Lee Marquis (Vaught), whom he married on Easter Day, April 15, 2001, on a beach in Holmes Beach.
He’s also survived by his brother, Mike Vaught, who lives in Bradenton; Jennifer Vaught, his daughter from a previous marriage, who lives in Denver, Colorado; and his adopted daughter, Katie Vaught, who also lives in Denver.
On Thursday, Feb. 19, Tom was visited by a Tidewell Hospice chaplain. With Darcy lying by Tom’s side, the chaplain told Tom he’d soon be entering the arms of God. When she finished delivering her spiritual message, the chaplain began singing the gospel song, “I’ll Fly Away,” which includes the lyric, “Some glad morning when this life is over, I’ll fly away to a home on God’s celestial shore.” The song brought tears to those in the room.
“You know how much I love you and I always will,” Darcy told Tom as she lay beside her dying husband.
While speaking by phone on Saturday, Feb. 21, Darcy said, “I know his soul is in heaven, but part of his soul is still here with me. He’s all around me here. For 30 years, he held me up and took such good care of me, and I know he’s right here with me, still trying to hold me up. I’d always take my right hand and touch Tom’s heart, his body and his forehead and say ‘Heart, soul and mind, Tom and Darcy together forever.’”
FAMILY THOUGHTS
Speaking by phone, Mike Vaught, said, “Being the younger brother, I looked up to him growing up, and he was a great big brother. He was pain in the ass sometimes. I wanted to play baseball and he wanted to read. He was a good brother and a good person.”
Tom was a member of the United States Marine Corps from 1968 to 1970 and he followed his brother to Vietnam
“When I joined the Marine Corps, I think I was in boot camp, or I was already in Vietnam, and I got a letter from my mom saying, ‘Your brother joined the Marine Corps.’ I said, ‘Wow,’ because I never thought he’d go in the Marine Corps, so I was really proud of him for doing that,” Mike said. “He was close to Da Nang and I was by the DMZ (Vietnamese Demilitarized Zone) up north. We got three days off together, because we were brothers in country together.”
Tom later followed his younger brother to Florida too, after Mike moved to Bradenton in 1990.
“He came down a little later, stayed with me and my wife and decided to stay,” Mike said.
“He’s been sick for so long. I miss going to breakfast with him every Sunday at Popi’s Place on Manatee Avenue. He loved the paper. He loved being a disc jockey and he was still telling me stories about John Denver a year ago, when he could still talk. He did what he wanted and he loved it, so he had had a really good life. I love him and I’ll miss him,” Mike said.
Communicating via email from Colorado, Jennifer said, “My dad was a late-night radio DJ for KMJI-FM Magic 100 here in Denver from 1988-1991. He worked hard for that job and he loved it so much.
“He was a big car guy and always had a cool car to show off when he was younger, from a 1960s British MG, to a 1955 Ford pickup and his beloved 1986 Dodge Shadow.”
“He was an amazing father who read me bedtime stories every night, taught me to walk, talk, ride a bike, be kind, listen to people and, of course, fish. Our favorite pastime in the summers on the Island was late-night fishing. We would hit the Circle K for a Big Gulp and some peanuts and head to the City Pier around 9 p.m. and stay late into the night.
“Darcy was his third wife, but by far the literal love of his life. He would do anything for her and his favorite thing was dancing with her.
“He always heralded his time with The Dolphin and The Sun as his best years, doing his dream job. He loved all the people he met and he loved covering city hall meetings – though I thought they were super boring,” Jennifer said.
SUN LOSES A FRIEND
During his nearly 20 years with The Sun, Tom covered breaking news and city commission meetings and he really loved covering community events held at the Anna Maria Elementary school, the Anna Maria Island Art League, the Anna Maria Island Garden Club, the Anna Maria Island Chamber of Commerce, the annual Bayfest festival, the annual Symphony on the Sand concert and more. He also moderated The Sun’s city commission candidate forums.
AMI Sun founder, former editor and former owner Mike Field said, “Tom was one of the first people we approached when we launched The Sun back in 2000. We were looking for reporters who were familiar with the Island and who were willing to take a chance – a flying leap, really – and join our slightly crazed, upstart crew.
“Tom initially declined, as he already was working at the Bradenton Herald and our offer contained absolutely no guarantees of job security. Then, as he would later say, he saw our first edition, immediately changed his mind and ultimately would spend nearly 20 years working at The Sun.
“A gentle soul at heart, Tom endeared himself to just about everyone he met. His approach to covering the news mirrored his approach to life: Be honest, be kind and treat people fairly. His sources and the subjects of his stories often became his friends; his friends often became lifelong. He was a compadre. He will be well missed,” Field said.
AMI Sun Graphic Designer Ricardo Fonseca said, “Tom was a terrific journalist and a true asset to the Island’s community news. From the first day of school coverage at Anna Maria Elementary, the community markets, The Center bowling tournament, The Island Players reviews and countless other Island events, Tom had a great sense of how to tell an informative story. He also had a great photographic eye for capturing just the right photo to accompany his story. As his co-worker, I will personally miss his wit and humor that he was never without. My prayers go out to Darcy and his family.”
AMI Sun Graphic Designer Elaine Stroili said, “It made me so sad to hear about Tom. When I started at the Sun in 2002, Tom was one of the first people I met at the office in Anna Maria. He made me feel welcome in my new work environment and I appreciated that very much. I remember his hunt-and-peck style of typing – two-fingered peck, peck, peck. He told goofy jokes, and he could get a bit scattered at times, but he was a really nice man. And of course, he loved playing Santa during the Anna Maria holiday open house events. I missed him when he retired. With the recent passing of Robert Duval and Jessie Jackson, he will have good company on the weekly bus to heaven. Prayers to Darcy.”
AMI Sun cartoonist Steve Borggren said, “I always enjoyed chatting with him. Such a pleasant man. Rest in peace my friend.”
Former Sun Advertising Director Chantelle Lewin said, “I worked with Tom at the Bradenton Herald and he was so excited to come work at the Sun newspaper. He brought his journalism professionalism to The Sun and helped it grow into what it is today. He embraced everything about his job and he loved his beats. He met the love of his life, Darcy, they got married and they went to all the events he covered. Tom loved playing Santa and he never missed an opportunity to be in the Veterans Day parade. He was a man with a great sense of humor and he had a wonderful smile.”
Former Sun Advertising Assistant Christine Boniberger said, “I will always remember Tom fondly. He was a kind man and a good reporter. May he rest in peace. Prayers to his family.”
The Sun’s “Castles in the Sand” columnist Louise Bolger, said, “I knew Tom before either of us worked at the Sun. He was at the Bradenton Herald and was the editor of the real estate page. I would send columns to the Herald for that section and showed those columns to Mike Field when he interviewed me for a job at the Sun. Tom told me years later he used many of my columns because they didn’t need editing. He had a quick dry humor and I spent many years laughing at his comments … good memories.”
Sun editor and reporter Joe Hendricks said, “When I first came to The Sun as a part-time stringer in 2012, Tom was always willing to share his historical knowledge and the background story on the issues, people and connections I just beginning to learn about and write about. Tom was funny, kind, helpful, encouraging and supportive. Tom was beloved on Anna Maria Island and he’ll forever be a part of the Island’s history that he helped document through his writing and his photographs.”
AMI LOSES A FRIEND
Longtime family friend Nancy Ambrose said, “Tom Vaught was a dear friend. We celebrated holidays with Tom and Darcy and they were like family to Dave and I. Tom had a personality bigger than life and it was always a pleasure to listen to his stories. Any celebration was always more fun with Tom. It was so funny years ago when we both worked for (competing) Island newspapers and people thought we should be enemies, not best friends. Tom was a great friend and the most loving husband to Darcy. He loved her with all his heart. Tom loved the Anna Maria Island community and enjoyed going to all the events and capturing it on film. He truly loved being with everyone and meeting people at events.”
Holmes Beach Mayor Judy Titsworth said, “I loved Tom, he was a kind man and a terrific reporter. He really loved what he did and it showed in his reporting. I am so sorry to hear of his passing, as he will be truly missed by all who had the pleasure to know him.”
Current Holmes Beach City Commissioner and former mayor Carol Whitmore said, “Tom is the example of a stellar community newspaper reporter. He’s always kind, did his background work on the issues and checked his facts before his print deadline. I got to know him over the years and I considered him a true friend.”
Anna Maria resident and Anna Maria Island Historical Society board member Barb Murphy said, “Tom was a very likable guy and always eager to report on an event. He enjoyed taking part, as well as reporting on a happening. He was totally devoted to his wife Darcy and would many times show up with her. Thank you, Tom, for your love of the Island and your reporting.”
Holmes Beach resident Nancy Deal said, “Tom was a good, kind man who loved AMI and its environs. He did his best to research issues that impacted our community. He was always present at important events and wrote carefully and comprehensively. Most importantly, he appreciated and enjoyed living here. He has been missed. He left a legacy that journalists should admire and copy.”
Related coverage:
A farewell to Tom – by Cindy Lane
Jane Seymour wows ‘em at Studio – by Tom Vaught
Vaught’s Vietnam – by Cindy Lane
