Tom's cousin, Gary Gray, was dating Erin's cousin, Joanne Joshu. They were visiting Arizona when Denise Gray married Steve Murphy. They said, "Let's plan a party of your cousins and mine, while we are
here." So, Joanne Joshu asked Erin Joanne (Hammons) to come, and Gary invited
Tom Gray. That was how Tom met Erin.
Tom and his brother Tim led the PHS golf team to State Championship in high school, and went on to the Glendale College golf team.
After Tom graduated from ASU, he joined the PGA tour and married Erin Joanne (Hammons) at Sacred Heart Parish Center, on April 17, 1982 in Prescott, Az. At the wedding reception, which was celebrated at Antelope Hills Golf Course, Brian Gray ran into a sliding glass door and cut himself. Tom and Erin spent an hour or so at the Hospital, with Erin still in her wedding gown. Erin and Brian were Tom's caddies when he was on the PGA Tour.
Tom worked for the Marriott Corporation at The Camelback Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona, Marriott�s Tantara Resort at Lake of the Ozarks, Osage Beach, Missouri, and at The Frog/The Georgian Resort in Atlanta, Georgia. He has been Head Pro and Director of Golf.
See Tan-Tar-A, Ackworth in Cobb County, GA, or The Frog.
In 2001, he returned to work in management of the golf program at the Marriott Camelback Resort in Scottsdale, Arizona.
Tom was born on May 7, 1957,
at Youens Hospital. He was named for Father Thomas Flanagan, who baptised Tom
at St Michael's
Church.
This Father "Tom" Flanagan was a newly ordained priest who came to Weimar, Texas, as a missionary from Ireland c1953. He is now an auxuliary bishop in the Archdiocese of San Antonio, Texas.
Edwin and Frances
Haidusek
were Tom's godparents also.
Ceil Gray, mother of Tim and Tom and seven other children, liked to think of Tim and Tom as twins, because they both had red hair and freckles, and were born only 13 months apart.
Erin Joanne Hammons was born on June 30,
1959 to Virginia (Joshu) and Art Hammons. She has a sister, Marcie, and a brother, John. Erin teaches pre-school.
Tom and Erin have two children.
Lindsay Gray was born on Tom's 29th birthday,
May 7, 1986.
It was also her uncle John Hammons' birthday.
Zachary Thomas Gray was born on May 27,
1988, Tim and Jennifer Gray's
wedding anniversary.
Anthony Joshu (1896-1986) and Anne Fech (1898-1977) had eight children:
1 Edward Joshu (-1964)
2 Leo "Lee" Joshu ( ) deceased,
3 Alice Elizabeth (Joshu)/Mrs. ...Metz (1925-2003), of Dupo, Illinois, was born January 24, 1925, in Dupo, Illinois and died April 22, 2003, age 78, at Red Bud Nursing Home, Red Bud, Illinois. She was a mother and homemaker.
She married ...Metz
Alice and ...Metz had four daughters and a son:
Janice (Metz)/Mrs. Don Cox of Wildwood, Moissouri;
Knute Metz, who married Janet and lives in Columbia, Illinois;
Jean (Metz)/Mrs. Steve Brown of Dupo, Illinois;
and Jacqueline (Metz)/Mrs. Rick Davis of Columbia, Illinois.
Alice (Joshu), at the time of her death, had nine grandchildren; six great-grandchildren;
Memorials may be made to the Red Bud Nursing Home or to the American Cancer Society. The Funeral Mass was held at 10 a.m. Thursday, April 24, 2003, at Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Dupo, Illinois, with the Rev. Gerald Hechenberger officiating. She was buried at Ss. Peter and Paul Cemetery, Collinsville, Illinois,
The arrangements were made by Dasher Funeral Home, Dupo, Illinois.
This information was published in the Belleville News-Democrat from 4/24/2003 - 4/25/2003.
4 Joseph "Joe" Joshu ( ) of Phoenix, Arizona.
5 Eugene "Gene" Joshu ( ) of Ruma, Illinois,
6 Robert "Bob" Joshu (1929-65) married Charlene and had ...son(s)..., and his grandsons attend school in Prescott, Arizona. Bob died at age 36. He taught at Prescott High School. His widow, Charlene, has remarried twice. First to Dean Brassfield and presently to Don Cook, also from Prescott.
7 Virginia (Joshu) was born in ..., she married Arty Clayton Hammons, Jr.
Three children born to their union:
1 Marci (Hammons) was born in 1956,
she married Rod Torgerson (1956-) and they have had two children.
2 Erin (Hammons) was born on June 20, 1959;
she married Thomas Gray and they have had two children, Lindsay and Zachary.
3 John Hammons (1965-), who was born on May 7, 1965. John is single.
Virginia was divorced and raised these three children in Phoenix, Arizona.
8 Anthony "Tony" Joshu, Jr. ( ) of Cottonwood, Arizona.
...................................................
Bob - I had this message forwarded to me so I'm not sure exactly who
it originated from - hopefully I'm sending this info to the right
person.
Re: the obit you saw. That is my sister, Alice. She was divorced and
had taken back her maiden name, Joshu. Her married name had been
Metz.
Re: relation to Joshu's in Prescott. The Joshu's in Prescott are
my nephews. they are the children of my brother, Bob, who died very
young. He was only 36. He was a teacher at Prescott High School. His
widow, Charlene, has remarried twice. First to Dean Brassfield and
presently to Don Cook, also from Prescott.
Hope this clears it up for you.
Virginia Hammons [email protected]
..........................................................
Hi!
I guess Tom or one of his kids forwarded my letter to you as I didn't have your email address until now. Thanks for clearing up some of my questions.
Do yiou have any birth dates for your parents and brothers and sisters?
They can be approximate, who was the oldest, to the youngest...
When did your brother Bob die?
Where are his two sons now? Still in Prescott?
Thanks again,
Bob Gray
.......................................................
Bob-
I'm not sure of dates at all but here's the order.- from oldest to
> youngest in my family:
1. Edward - deceased 1964
2. Lee - deceased
3. Alice - deceased
4. Joe - lives in Phx
5. Gene - lives in Ruma, Il
6. Bob - deceased - approx 1965
7. Virginia (me)
8. Tony, Jr. - lives in Cottonwood, AZ
My mother died in 1977 - she was 79 yrs old.
My father died in l986 - He was 89 -2 months shy of 90 yrs old.
I'm curious - why did you want this info?
Virginia
..................................................................
Dear Virginia-
I guess Lindsay interviewed you? or maybe she got her information from Erin, for her Genealogy of your side of the family for her Biography she wrote for a class? A couple of years ago, when they were in Geeorgia, Zachary was looking for the same information, and since I had all the information that you sent me a while back about the Hammons family that Marci got from Arty's mom, I thought I would keep the information along with my records of all our cousins and their ancestors.
I got information from Pat Dedmore's grandmother, and from Vicki and her mom, etc,
of course I lose track of many of the cousins who haven't responded yet, but I keep working at it. I have a little information from Jennifer and her mom, and from Gloria and her mom, it's just my avocation for the family tree.
Sorry, I don't mean to pry but I am compiling books fort all my neices and nephews. They might think it is interesting someday.
If you have any interesting memories you would like to share, please let me know.
Lindsay also wrote a very nice piece about you, Tom and Erin in her biography book.
I guess this is my purpose in life, since I don't have children of my own.
Thanks for the Christmas Card. I didn't get all of my cards out his year, also I missed seeing you at Thanksgiving and Christmas. Too many new babies to see. I missed seeing Heather and her new husband also,
even though they were in town at Tim's house, I was with Sara and Brian and they never got over to see Sara. But they did get to see their cousins Fawn and Lydia. Noah brought his 1st girlfriend home, but had to leave early and missed Fawn who arrived five minutes after he left Prescott, so she went to Phoenix to see him.
..............................................................................
Children of Bob and Charlene Joshu:
Joanne Joshu...
Guy Joshu married Jane Eitel.
Jane dated Michael........in high school, and went to the prom with him.
Brian Gray double dated and took......... .
Grandchildren of Bob Joshu and Charlene