Tom was our Brother, our Friend, our Hero. We have so many reasons for participating in the ALS Walk on June 1st of this year. The most important though is our promise to our brother Tom Schindlbeck. Tom fought the battle of his life but passed away after living (yes, I said living) with ALS. His death on March 6th of 2013 is still an unbearable loss to everyone that knew and loved him. Tom unselfishly donated his body to ALS research and now we must do our part to raise funds to stop this cruel disease. Too many families are sharing our story. One of a perfectly healthy, happy man in his prime who starts to have unusual symptoms. Many tests later, the death sentence of ALS is proclaimed. Death sentence? YES! There is no cure for Lou Gehrig's Disease. That is where we come in. PLEASE, we cannot allow Tom's death to mean nothing but a statistic. He deserves so much more than that. His fight was valiant and he taught us all about dignity and courage and because of him, we are all better people. Tom was a son, brother, husband, father and a great friend. If time hadn't been against him, he would have be the most amazing grandfather to Grace Marie who was born in July of 2013, just 4 months after Tom passed away. Tom's journey through ALS was a fast one. From diagnosis to death was a mere 22 months. Not nearly a long enough time to say all of his good-byes and yet in his obituary (which he beautifully wrote himself) he said his whole life had been his bucket list. He left us with no regrets. He lived his life well. For all of you who knew him, I know you loved him. For all of you who didn't know Tom, you have no idea what you've missed. He was a loving husband to his wife Susan and a devoted Dad to his girls Melanie and Jenika. He brought great joy as a son. He was an amazing brother to his very proud 7 brothers and sisters. He was a dedicated and compassionate nurse. He was a great listener. Funny? That doesn't even come close to describing Tom. He had a funny story (most of them true) to tell over and over and they got funnier with every telling. He was a great friend. Old high school friends told us that noone ever had a "beef" with Tom. He was well liked and respected. Old fishing buddies wept at his memorial like their hearts were broken. The older aunts and cousins still call him Tommie. We had a family reunion the summer we heard about Tom's diagnosis and 99 people came from 7 states to see him for one last time. His nieces and nephews had a special love for Uncle Tom. So did the next generation of his great nieces and nephews. Tom lived in Washington state for over 30 years with his wife and daughters. Their circle of friends continued to grow everywhere they went. His wife, his children, his family, his nursing and his passion for fishing were his greatest joys in life. His wish to all of us, his brothers and sisters was for us to come visit in Washington. He loved everything about the outdoors.. fishing, hunting and hiking. He loved the mountains, the Oregon coast and was so generous to show us around his beautiful state. We did our best and all of us made it there many times before we all saw him one last time just days before he left us. Saying good-bye was the hardest thing any of us has ever done. So much more to tell, but please take our word for it, Tom suffered more than any human should ever have to bear. ALS is a painful process to go through as your body rebels against you and then it finally betrays you completely until we all prayed for Tom's release from this life into everlasting peace in Heaven. Words are not adequate enough to express the depth of our loss but our hearts are filled with the peace that our Tom is once again completely well and catching the best fish Heaven has to offer. Until we meet Tom again, and we all know we will, this is our pledge to him. "Tom, you did not leave alone. A part of everyone of us went with you that day. We will honor you and make you proud. Rest in peace....someday another family will be spared this pain...we are going to help make that happen." We, as a family and extended groups of relatives and friends are going to walk and raise funds again this year for ALS research. Our first year (2013) we set a goal for ourselves of $2,000.00. We proudly raised over $8,000.00. Our second,(2014) we set a goal of $4,000.00 and we again surpassed our goal by raising over $13,000.00. In 2015, we again raised over $8,000.00 from all of your incredible support and generosity. In (2016) we raised a whopping $16,000.00 So, to all of you, please click on our fundraising page and please help support us. Thanking you all in advance.....Jerry, Jean, Dick, Marie, Joyce, Carl and Janet and all our amazing family and friends that are taking this journey with us.

Thank you for helping us reach our fund raising goal! Together we can make a difference in the lives of those affected by Lou Gehrig's Disease. Our team is committed to raising money to support people in our community with ALS and spread awareness of the urgency to find treatment and a cure. Please consider joining our team in the Walk to Defeat ALS® or choose a team member from the list and donate to our cause.

Why We Need Your Help

Often referred to as Lou Gehrig's Disease, amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS) is a progressive, fatal neuromuscular disease that slowly robs the body of its ability to walk, speak, swallow and breathe. The life expectancy of an ALS patient averages 2 to 5 years from the time of diagnosis.

Every 90 minutes a person in this country is diagnosed with ALS and every 90 minutes another person will lose their battle against this disease. ALS occurs throughout the world with no racial, ethnic, or socioeconomic boundaries.

This crippling disease can strike anyone. Presently there is no known cause of the disease yet it still costs loved ones an average of $200,000 a year to provide the care ALS patients need. Help make a difference and donate or join a walk today.