When 27-year-old Thomas Gray Reynolds of Chestnut Hill, by way of Erdenheim, died of an apparent drug overdose in September, the grief extended beyond family to the Twitter community who knew him better as the hilarious @TomBroDude.
Family and close friends will mourn the loss at a Quaker memorial service on Sunday.
Since they’ve asked that the gathering remain private for “deeply personal and religious reasons,” his extended group of loved ones will get together for a “Tom Bro Dude Memorial Twitter Meet-Up” on Saturday in Center City.
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It is there that friends will likely honor Reynolds’ “when I die please just read my best jokes at my funeral and laugh aloud.”
Some close friends also offered their remembrances on a thoroughly worth-hearing podcast earlier this month.
Porter Callanan, who knew Reynolds since their elementary school days in Springfield Township, Montgomery County, explained the impact his late friend, who openly discussed his struggles with addiction, had on others.
"Whenever somebody dies, people say that they were the greatest person ever, but Tom truly was that," he said. "He was the nicest, funniest, smartest dude you'll ever meet."
The meet-up, where you can meet a bunch of people that you only know by their Twitter handles, is slated for Lucky Strike (1336 Chestnut St.) from 5 to 8 p.m. Saturday.
Look for the "DSF Company Retreat" signage upon arrival and you’ll know you’re in the right place for drink specials and a private lounge. (Side note: The 6ABC social-media team should brace itself for some more trolling, I'd suspect.)
A GoFundMe effort doubled its $5,000 goal to help loved ones cover funeral and related expenses. The family asks that in lieu of flowers, memorial gifts in Tom's name can be made to Mirmont Treatment Center Development Office, 100 Yearsley Mill Road, Lima, PA 19063.