In Memory of My Loving Father, 'Dogbreath2U' | Page 5 | The Boneyard

In Memory of My Loving Father, 'Dogbreath2U'

Dogbreath2U said:
Hello all,

I am in writing this in respect to my beloved father, Thomas M. McAuliffe, known here as Dogbreath2U, who passed away this past Friday night at the age of 62.

My father was born in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in the nearby charming suburb of Overland Park, Kansas. He attended Rockhurst High School where he played for nearly every sports team, including football, track and baseball.

img_7770.jpg



After receiving his PhD in Clinical Psychology from St Louis University and meeting my mother, Patricia FitzGerald, they traveled around the country together, chasing clinical internships and job prospects.

Eventually, they ended up back in Connecticut, where my mother had grown up and spent most of her life outside of her PhD. He started working at Newington Children Hospital before joining CREC in East Hartford as a Psychologist, where he helped children with developmental and emotional disabilities for over twenty years. Here, my dad's love affair with UConn's Men Basketball began. It didn't take long for me to catch the same bug he had.

In 2004, when I was in 5th grade, my teacher had us fill out NCAA basketball brackets.
I had made brackets for both the men and women, and under the influence of my father, had the men and women taking it all. And, they did. That year we went to the celebration parade together.

As I grew older, I understood more and more the sense of place the UConn basketball had created for my father. After a long day of work, I'd find my dad typing away on a message board or excitedly live-chatting during a game. He became involved with the community service aspect of the site too, helping to raise money in 2012 for Jim Calhoun retirement medical gift. He derived such joy from being a part of this vibrant basketball community. He was a brilliant man with a brilliant heart.

Tom is survived by my wonderful mother, Patricia FitzGerald, my loving brother, Sean McAuliffe, as well as his mother, Mildred McAuliffe.

A celebration of Tom’s life will be held Tuesday June 20 at 11am in the Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury. Friends may call at the funeral home on Monday June 19 from 4-7pm. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the CT. Children’s Medical Center Foundation, 12 Charter Oak Place, Hartford, CT. 06106. For online condolences please visit www.mulryanfh.com.

Should any of you wish to get in contact with me, you can email me at ktmc357(at)gmail.com.

Thank you all for creating a community my dad was always so fond of.

Best wishes,
Kate McAuliffe
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Kate, I am so so sorry for your loss. There are folks that you look for when you walk into a room and there are voices you listen to on forums like we have here and your Dad was one of them. He will be missed by many.
Ed Sargent
 
Kate, your dad was one of the few people on this forum who would always address others as if he were speaking to them face to face as opposed to behind the curtain of anonymity that is an internet forum. That he could exhibit that kind of class and respect in this environment is a credit to his character. That you saw fit to take even a few moments in your time of grief to inform us of his passing is proof that you share those same traits. May you find comfort in the love of family and friends, and pride in the knowledge that so many people held your father in such high esteem.
 
UCDaveD said:
So sorry for your loss.
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Dogbreath2U said:
Hello all,

I am in writing this in respect to my beloved father, Thomas M. McAuliffe, known here as Dogbreath2U, who passed away this past Friday night at the age of 62.

My father was born in Kansas City, Missouri and grew up in the nearby charming suburb of Overland Park, Kansas. He attended Rockhurst High School where he played for nearly every sports team, including football, track and baseball.

img_7770.jpg



After receiving his PhD in Clinical Psychology from St Louis University and meeting my mother, Patricia FitzGerald, they traveled around the country together, chasing clinical internships and job prospects.

Eventually, they ended up back in Connecticut, where my mother had grown up and spent most of her life outside of her PhD. He started working at Newington Children Hospital before joining CREC in East Hartford as a Psychologist, where he helped children with developmental and emotional disabilities for over twenty years. Here, my dad's love affair with UConn's Men Basketball began. It didn't take long for me to catch the same bug he had.

In 2004, when I was in 5th grade, my teacher had us fill out NCAA basketball brackets.
I had made brackets for both the men and women, and under the influence of my father, had the men and women taking it all. And, they did. That year we went to the celebration parade together.

As I grew older, I understood more and more the sense of place the UConn basketball had created for my father. After a long day of work, I'd find my dad typing away on a message board or excitedly live-chatting during a game. He became involved with the community service aspect of the site too, helping to raise money in 2012 for Jim Calhoun retirement medical gift. He derived such joy from being a part of this vibrant basketball community. He was a brilliant man with a brilliant heart.

Tom is survived by my wonderful mother, Patricia FitzGerald, my loving brother, Sean McAuliffe, as well as his mother, Mildred McAuliffe.

A celebration of Tom’s life will be held Tuesday June 20 at 11am in the Mulryan Funeral Home, 725 Hebron Ave., Glastonbury. Friends may call at the funeral home on Monday June 19 from 4-7pm. In lieu of flowers memorial donations may be made to the CT. Children’s Medical Center Foundation, 12 Charter Oak Place, Hartford, CT. 06106. For online condolences please visit www.mulryanfh.com.

Should any of you wish to get in contact with me, you can email me at ktmc357(at)gmail.com.

Thank you all for creating a community my dad was always so fond of.

Best wishes,
Kate McAuliffe
Expand ...

Condolences to you and your family. RIP #huskiesforever
 
As you can tell by my post count, I dont deal with many of the posters here on the Yard. While I dont recall conversing with your dad, what I do know about him is that he must have been a remarkable man to raise such a fine daughter. Your grace, thoughtfulness, and the LOVE in your post speak to the man better than anything or anyone else could. God Bless you, your dad, and your family during this difficult time.
 
Kate,
Thank you for sharing your memories of your father with us... What an amazing tribute.

As countless others have expressed, @Dogbreath2U was an insightful, rational, and passionate poster here. The fact that the entire board is unanimously in agreement with that fact is something of a rarity. That leads me to believe that, although I never met your father, I imagine he was a rarity as a person as well.

On internet message boards, it's easy for posters to take advantage of the anonymity factor and use it as false armor to demean others or be a negative person. Tom was the polar opposite of that, always genuine and kind... a beacon of positivity and passion on this board. Selfishly, he will be terribly missed here.

I can only imagine what you and your family are going through at a time like this. I can only hope that you are somewhat touched by the resounding positive impression your dad left on so many here.

My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
 
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Kate and Family,

The Boneyard helped me immensely when we lost Dribbles back in April 2015. Your Dad was respected for all he did, he was compassionate and a loyal Huskie supporter. May you and your family heal during this time and prayers for everyone. Mrs. Dribbles
 
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Kate,

I didn't know your father (or anyone on here personally), but I do know that when I read his posts/knowledge of UConn basketball I knew I was reading a post of a very smart, knowledgeable and caring person.

To know that your dad and I are in the same field of work makes me especially sad as he def seems like a great one.

Always feel free to come on board for anything that you need.
 
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Kate,
Beautifully stated.
Your reading that your Dad was consistently kind, well reasoned and thoughtful may seem like very moderate praise. But, if you knew the Boneyard and it's intensely passionate fans that ride the rollercoaster of our team, you would realize how truly rare those traits are in this forum.
I just learned that he and I are the same age and work in the same field and have daughters that are about the same age. I send my love to you and your family and wish you healing and peace.
David
 
Your father befriended me at Jim Calhoun's Charity Walk/Ride in 2012. Maybe because I was a newcomer to a ‘live’ Boneyard event or maybe because I looked lost but he fell in step with me and we walked and talked for a couple of hours. Being lost had something to do with trying to reconcile members’ screen names with the real person as it did with my general discomfort of being in a group of strangers. Your father’s screen name particularly confused me. He wasn’t unshaven and he didn’t have bad breath. He struck me as a kind soul. I also remember the smile he had throughout the walk.

I’m very sorry for your loss and our loss.
 
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This was very sad news to read. I've always enjoyed reading Tom's posts and chatting with him during games. My thoughts and condolences to you Kate and your family, Tom's friends, and to all of us here who share in your loss. Thank you for sharing this tribute and picture with us.
 
The fact that the Boneyard got mention in the obituary is wild to me. I had never stopped to consider before that some people might remember us this way. I suppose for people like me it's a blessing and a curse that this is how our paths crossed - blessing that it is that we have the chance to become acquainted to like-minded souls, I look at a guy like @Dogbreath2U and think it's a shame that I never really knew him. Sometimes in my vaguest of fantasies I'll wonder what it would be like to meet the people on this board, but the stars never do seem to align.

I wish I could go back in time and reach out to him. I wish I could go back in time and give the tickets that I won to the 2014 regional finals - tickets that I won through this very site - to him. It's funny the way life works, where all these bucket list items - connections you're going to make but haven't had the time to, gestures that are more convenient to make tomorrow than today, favors you haven't had the chance to re-pay - tend to lurk beneath your conscience until it's too late.

Perhaps if there's value in this it's that it makes ambivalence a little less likely, even if for only a while. At least today, I have no trouble putting my money where my mouth is. I tend to go to at least a few games a year, usually the biggest ones. Consider this an open invitation to PM me if you're weird like I am and need to get to your seat 45 minutes before tip. We'll have plenty of time to talk.
 
champs99and04 said:
The fact that the Boneyard got mention in the obituary is wild to me. I had never stopped to consider before that some people might remember us this way. I suppose for people like me it's a blessing and a curse that this is how our paths crossed - blessing that it is that we have the chance to become acquainted to like-minded souls, I look at a guy like @Dogbreath2U and think it's a shame that I never really knew him. Sometimes in my vaguest of fantasies I'll wonder what it would be like to meet the people on this board, but the stars never do seem to align.

I wish I could go back in time and reach out to him. I wish I could go back in time and give the tickets that I won to the 2014 regional finals - tickets that I won through this very site - to him. It's funny the way life works, where all these bucket list items - connections you're going to make but haven't had the time to, gestures that are more convenient to make tomorrow than today, favors you haven't had the chance to re-pay - tend to lurk beneath your conscience until it's too late.

Perhaps if there's value in this it's that it makes ambivalence a little less likely, even if for only a while. At least today, I have no trouble putting my money where my mouth is. I tend to go to at least a few games a year, usually the biggest ones. Consider this an open invitation to PM me if you're weird like I am and need to get to your seat 45 minutes before tip. We'll have plenty of time to talk.
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Very nice post champs
 
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