Thomas Staples

Staples, Thomas Loring
59, of Afton, died unexpectedly on February 6th. A graduate of Breck School, Tom returned to the Twin Cities after earning his BA at Lewis and Clark in Portland, Oregon and settled in Afton, where he lived with his wife, Lisa and son Cole. In a time when individual opinions are scattered like seeds, Tom guarded his closely. Deeply curious and a dedicated news junkie, he held strong viewpoints, but rarely tried to sway others, preferring to stay quietly confident in his convictions. Tom was the stoic presence in the corner, listening to conversation and breaking his silence with a well-considered joke or insight. From an early age, Tom was drawn to sports. He attended North Stars, Vikings and Twins games with his father and played soccer and volleyball. Later, he became an avid bicyclist, twice biking across the country. His other pilgrimages revolved around baseball, as he and Cole traveled to Twins games in Wisconsin and Illinois and twice made multi-stadium visits to the East Coast. Tom was a devoted father to Cole and was looking forward to watching him graduate high school this year. Throughout his life, Tom looked to the stars, both in his literal passion for astronomy and his dreamy, thoughtful demeanor. In addition to Lisa and Cole, Tom is survived by his step-daughter, Madeleine Harkness; his mother, Emily Anne Staples Tuttle; sisters, Missy Staples Thompson and Kate and brother, Greg. A memorial service will be held Friday, February 10th at 12 noon at LAKEWOOD MEMORIAL CHAPEL, 3600 Hennepin Ave., Minneapolis with a visitation beginning at 11:30am. No flowers, please. Memorials may be made to the Minnesota Historical Society or to the donor's choice.