Thomas E. Royal

November 18, 1966 – July 11, 2021

Tom Royal passed away suddenly after an afternoon participating in activities he loved. He was attended by his wife Marcia, and in the company of friends.

Tom was a life-long resident of Skagit County. A graduate of Concrete High School (Class of '85) where he was involved in sports. He played football and was a member of the 1984 state champion Lions. After graduating he attended Skagit Valley College.

He worked for Brown & Root at the Shell refinery in Anacortes. Delivered pizza for Domino's for a time. Tom then worked for Hexcel Corporation in their Burlington plant for over 25 years, most recently as an NC operator.

Tom married his beloved Marcia in 1992 and embarked on a life of shared adventures and travel, eventually settling on 5 acres in the country with their two horses (and cats).

Tom enjoyed fishing, cooking, occasionally felling trees with his Dad, and spending lots of time with family and friends. He was also a member of The Society for Creative Anachronism (SCA, Inc.), where he enjoyed participating in armored combat, equestrian games, and pursuing interests in the arts and sciences of the Middle Ages. An exciting life event was participating as a Norman knight in the 2006 Battle of Hastings re-enactment at Battle, England. In the last several years Tom became an avid beekeeper and leaves behind about 14 hives!

Tom is survived by Marcia, his wife of nearly 29 years; parents Lauretta (Rusher) Royal of Bremerton, and Robert & Delores Royal of Sedro-Woolley; brothers Kelly (Lisa) of Everett and Richard (Jessica) of Helena, Montana; step brothers and sisters, LaLonnie, Lloyd, Rick and Shannon, all of Sedro-Woolley; several aunts and uncles, cousins, and a passel of nieces and nephews. Gone too soon, Tom will be greatly missed by family, friends and all who knew him.

A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, August 14th, 2021 from 1-4pm at Riverfront Park in Sedro-Woolley (901 River Road). An informal "open house" gathering…bring memories and stories to share.

Memorials in Tom's name may be made to:  WSU Honey Bee Research Facility (https://bees.wsu.edu/); the American Diabetes Association ( https://www.diabetes.org/ );  or (for SCA folks wishing to make memorial donations to SCA-related groups – see Marcia for donation forms).