Stabbing victim was 'as good as it gets'
The artist, 29, was a friend to all, his family says. When he invited 50 people to his wedding in Ybor City, 180 showed up.
By MARTY CLEAR
Published July 1, 2005
THOMAS "TOMMY' LASKAS: 1975-2005
OLD SEMINOLE HEIGHTS - The only way Tommy Laskas' family can make any sense of his death is to think that opposing forces of nature collided.
"This man who did this, he was as evil as it gets," said his sister, Jaimie Mourer. "And Tommy was as good as it gets."
Mr. Laskas was stabbed to death last week during a concert at Masquerade in Ybor City. He died June 24 at age 29.
Although he grew up in the Carrollwood area and lived with his wife and her daughter in Old Seminole Heights, Mr. Laskas was more connected with Ybor City than any other part of town.
"Everyone knew him," his sister said. "You'd walk through Ybor City with Tommy, and everyone, even the homeless guys, would smile and say, "Hi, Tommy.' If you knew him, even for a day, he touched your life."
Mr. Laskas graduated from Gaither High School in 1993 and, after a short stint at Hillsborough Community College, spent about a year backpacking through Europe. He ended the trip with a visit to his father, Demos Laskas, who lives in Athens.
He moved to Colorado for a short time and then returned to Tampa.
One of his favorite haunts was the New World Brewery in Ybor. He would spend hours there, often just sitting and indulging his passion for drawing.
Several years ago the owner of a nearby business noticed Mr. Laskas' artwork and asked if he would consider creating designs for beveled glass. The man offered to teach Mr. Laskas the trade, and Mr. Laskas went to work for the company, the Beveled Edge.
"You can see his glass in homes on Bayshore, in Cheval, all over town," said his mother, Andrea Payne.
He honed his talent at the Beveled Edge, but before long he moved on to another art form, becoming an apprentice at an Ybor City tattoo parlor, Instant Gratification. His reputation grew, and he started working full time at another local tattoo parlor, Mean Machine."His artwork was almost all original work," his mother said. "He specialized in Celtic designs. When someone came in and wanted a Celtic tattoo, they'd refer them to Tommy. He'd get referrals from all over the country."
It wasn't just his career that got started at New World. He met a woman who worked there, Wendy Bos. They dated for a few years and got married at New World.
"He invited 50 people to his wedding and 180 people showed up," his sister said. "When people heard that Tommy was getting married, they wanted to be there."
His wife was also stabbed in the attack and is recovering from her injuries.
Mr. Laskas was especially close to his wife's daughter, Delia Bos. Although he never adopted her, he wrote wedding vows to Delia, who was 9 at the time, pledging that he would always be there for her. Then he placed a ring on her finger as a symbol of his commitment.
He was also a devoted uncle to his sister's four children.
"Tommy walked into the room and they just lit up," she said. "In fact, Ezra, my 9-year-old, we all call him Little Tommy. Tommy was always the class clown, and Ezra has that same sense of humor."
Ezra's oldest brother, Jakob, shares his uncle's artistic talent, Mourer said, and Mr. Laskas loved to teach him to draw.
After a funeral home viewing last Tuesday, about 200 friends and relatives planned to gather at New World Brewery to celebrate his life.
"He met his wife at New World, he got married at New World and now we're going to say goodbye to him at New World," his mother said.