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Dr. Tom. He was my dentist.

Dr. Tom Atkinson. If you were lucky enough to have been a patient of his you know what the world is missing with his death.

Talk about a kind and good man. It practically shone off him. Tall, bespectacled, with freckles and an aw shucks grin, Dr. Tom was someone who made me want to be more like him. Open, easy-going and so friendly.

I was a patient for over 10 years. He did some heavy duty work on me,(crowns and the like, not unpainful stuff.) All the time counting down so I would know how long til the end of a particularly difficult part of the procedure. Ten more seconds, 9, 8, 7. He told me he hadn't had the best experiences with dentists as a child either. I never met a dentist with empathy before.

He always told me I had beautiful teeth. Which, being him, I'm sure he told everyone, but I believed him every time.

His wife, Dr. Michele, once told me that he really loved Pink Floyd. I took that to heart big time. I think because I didn't know that before and I wished I had. Not that you can ever have a big conversation while at the dentist, but I would have enjoyed a quip or two about them.

Dr.Tom, wish you were here.