Thomas Poole, sports field manager

Thomas Poole, 55, of Moorestown, sports fields manager for Moorestown Township for 27 years and a former assistant chief of its volunteer fire department, died of pneumonia Sunday, Aug. 24, at Virtua Voorhees hospital.

Mr. Poole grew up in Cherry Hill and graduated in 1977 from Cherry Hill High School East.

Though the school did not have a hockey team, Mr. Poole "was an ice hockey player for years and years," his wife, Patricia, said.

"He really enjoyed that" - even though in later years, she said, "it was old guys getting together at 4 o'clock in the morning," the only hour when a hockey rink would have time available.

"He was a Flyers fan, even when they were bad," she said.

Mr. Poole began his groundskeeping work for Moorestown in the early 1980s, she said, and after that job was outsourced, for the last three years he was grounds manager for Monroe Township.

Mr. Poole was a 28-year volunteer with the Moorestown Fire Company and a lifetime member of its Relief Engine Company.

But he had to give up his firefighting responsibilities when he began working for Monroe Township, which was too distant from Moorestown for him to respond to fire calls, his wife said.

When he applied to be a firefighter in Moorestown, she said, "the funny thing is, he thought he was going to last a month, because he had long hair" and the other firefighters were clean cut.

"Come to be, he was one of the best interior firefighters they ever had."

And his superiors appreciated his work enough, she said, "they moved him quickly through the ranks - lieutenant, captain, battalion chief, assistant chief."

He would even "rescue people's cats up a tree."

The Pooles had their own house cats.

"The cats used to sleep with us," she said. But since Mr. Poole's death, they sleep elsewhere in the house. "I think they know he's gone."

Besides his wife of 33 years, Mr. Poole is survived by son Justin, daughter Heather Epright, four brothers, and a grandson.

Visitations were set from 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, Aug. 28, and from 10 a.m. to noon Friday, Aug. 29, both at the Lewis Funeral Home, 78 E. Main St., Moorestown.

Donations may be sent to the Food Bank of South Jersey, 1501 John Tipton Blvd., Pennsauken, N.J. 08110, or www.foodbanksj.org.

Condolences may be offered to the family at www.lewisfuneralhomemoorestown.com.

610-313-8134 @WNaedele