Northpinellas: Friends, family offer Feaster encouraging words

LARGO -- Although he vowed to stay away from City Hall once he left office last year, Thomas "Thom" Feaster still pops up in the everyday conversations of those who still work there.

In fact, someone recently nominated the longtime former mayor to be the chairman of the countywide Citizens for Fair Campaign Practices, even though Feaster has steered clear of local government and politics.

"He's got a lot of friends, true friends," said City Commissioner Pat Burke. "It takes somebody special to have friends like that."

For the last six months, many of those friends around town and across Pinellas County have asked Burke and others about Feaster's health.

The former mayor, credited by many for transforming Largo from a rural community to a family-friendly city, is battling a serious form of lung cancer.

"I think he's fighting an awfully strong battle; and if anybody can fight it, it is Thom," said Feaster's successor, Mayor Bob Jackson.

Feaster came to Sun Coast Hospital on Monday for some blood tests, but he wasn't feeling well and was admitted, said George Feaster, his older brother.

"He hasn't been feeling good," Feaster said. "But his spirits are good."

Thom Feaster, 54, was diagnosed in February when doctors discovered a tumor on one of his lungs, his brother said. Doctors tried later that month to remove the tumor, but the surgeons discovered it had grown into the lining of the lung and couldn't be removed. Feaster has taken radiation treatment and chemotherapy to combat his condition. He is going through a battery of tests and an MRI to determine how the radiation treatment is progressing.

Those who have spoken to him say Feaster tries to deflect attention in conversations, quickly changing the subject from his condition to the personal lives of others. He talks confidently about his future, said City Manager Steven Stanton, who ran into Feaster about a week ago.

"Thom's a strong fighter," said Stanton. "The magic of Thom is his optimism. Thom believes he will be back . . . for a very long time."

A fighter. The phrase is often used to describe someone battling cancer. But the word seems to genuinely apply when talking about Feaster.

He survived a bruising mayoral campaign in 1993. He defended the idea of the city's annual Mayor's Prayer Breakfast, which some critics think should be eliminated. He sparred with those who he thought unfairly attacked city leaders at commission meetings.

"If you're going to go into a gunfight with a knife, you're not going to come out a winner," he said in 1999 in reference to annexation battles with Pinellas Park.

Feaster has been perhaps the leading political fixture in Largo for more than two decades. He was elected as a city commissioner in 1974. In 1979, he was elected mayor but took a break from politics three years later. He returned to city politics in 1993 when he was elected to complete the term of another mayor who resigned. He left office in April 2000.

A solidly built man with a husky voice, Feaster can be quite imposing. But there is a soft side. On his last day as mayor, Feaster gave his secretary seven yellow roses -- one for each year of his second term as mayor.

Mike Bollenback thinks such kindness comes from Feaster's true vocation: general manager of Serenity Gardens Memorial Park and Moss-Feaster Serenity Gardens Chapel.

"He's a compassionate person," said Bollenback, who got to know Feaster while serving as chairman of the Greater Largo Chamber of Commerce. "I think a lot of it comes from the work he's involved in."

Family members are optimistic that Feaster will persevere in his latest challenge.

"Since the beginning, everybody has kept him in their prayers," George Feaster said Thursday afternoon. "I believe that's important. Also, the physicians have been tremendous."

-- Information from Times files was used in this report.

Thomas 'Thom' Feaster

AGE: 54

OCCUPATION: general manager of Serenity Gardens Memorial Park and Moss-Feaster Serenity Gardens Chapel.

BACKGROUND: born and raised in South River, N.J. He moved to Largo in 1965.

POLITICAL CAREER: elected to the city commission in 1974. In 1979, he was elected mayor and completed a three-year term. Elected mayor in 1993 to complete the term of another mayor who resigned. Completed two, three-year terms.

FAMILY: wife, Kathy, and two children.

Back to North Pinellas news

Contact the Times | Privacy Policy
Standard of Accuracy | Terms, Conditions & Copyright

Special Links

Mary Jo Melone

Howard Troxler

From the Times
North Pinellas desks