I stumbled upon this page and saw this sad news about Tomas. I, too, sparred with him and Marian. He was such a patient person and good teacher while sparring. And he had a great sense of humor about life. -Laura
I met Tomas in 1993 at Hidden Valley Kung Fu. He was the epitome of calm, peace and good spirited humor. He never had a bad thing to say about ANYOME. He was always willing to stop what he was doing to help out someone else. His smile was genuine and infectious. I am crushed that he is gone. He was a good friend. If this is Turtle Bob that posted this. Thank you. I miss you and all the others from that place at the Vineyard. You all had such an impact on my life!
Not turtle Bob, I think I was gone when you got there. Thanks for your comment, he was an incredible guy, as was David. May they rest in peace.
April 15, 2023 at 10:18 AM
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I was startled to see an obituary for an old friend Tomas Villalobos in the paper the other day. He died from a very rare form of eye cancer. Tomas and I both practiced martial arts together for many years at Hidden Valley Kung Fu under the tutelage of Sifu John Vihilidal and Sihing David Willey. I sparred with both Tomas and his wife Marianne often and they were both top notch practitioners and exemplary human beings.
Tomas was my senior in the martial arts by several years and had extraordinarily good technique in Hung Gar Kung Fu, a southern, five animals style. He excelled at leopard, my animal was crane. Even though he was a more accomplished martial artist than I was he never hesitated to share with me and help me with my own progress. Eventually my knees gave out and his back gave out and we both had to back away from the training and discipline.
He was a teacher, a mason, a potter, humble, caring, a gentle soul who I respected very much. My condolences and love goes out to his family.
"Tomas"
3 Comments -
I stumbled upon this page and saw this sad news about Tomas. I, too, sparred with him and Marian. He was such a patient person and good teacher while sparring. And he had a great sense of humor about life. -Laura
June 14, 2015 at 6:36 PM
I met Tomas in 1993 at Hidden Valley Kung Fu. He was the epitome of calm, peace and good spirited humor. He never had a bad thing to say about ANYOME. He was always willing to stop what he was doing to help out someone else. His smile was genuine and infectious. I am crushed that he is gone. He was a good friend. If this is Turtle Bob that posted this. Thank you. I miss you and all the others from that place at the Vineyard. You all had such an impact on my life!
April 15, 2023 at 9:30 AM
Not turtle Bob, I think I was gone when you got there. Thanks for your comment, he was an incredible guy, as was David. May they rest in peace.
April 15, 2023 at 10:18 AM