Thomas More Hynes

Thomas More (T. More) Hynes died on Friday, May 8 at age of 72. Born in St. Cloud, MN to Emerson and Arleen Hynes as the eighth of 10 children, T. More spent his earliest years in the home dubbed Kilfenora in connection to the Irish village from which his great-grandfather emigrated. The family moved to Arlington, VA in 1959, though he would return to southern Minn. for summers to work on the Willette Seed Farm, staying with his godparents Mike and Joie Willette and their 9 children. As he grew into his teenage years, T. More put his natural athletic build to use playing football until his hair grew too long for the likings of his coach.

At the age of 20, T. More traveled to Ireland with $2000 in his pocket for a three-month pilgrimage similar to one undertaken by his father, regularly swapping labor for stories and pints across the Irish countryside. Upon his return stateside, a winning hand at his regular poker game resulted in the meeting of his future wife, Mary. They married a few short years later, in 1977, and 23 years later, took a second pilgrimage to Ireland, where they visited the original Hynes family farm in County Clare.

T. More and Mary started a picture framing business in 1976, the Thomas More Associates Archival Preservation of Arts. With great care and technique, they worked with artists to give their works the finishing touch he felt it so rightly deserved. In developing these artist relationships, he regularly traded his craft for theirs, amassing a small personal collection of treasured artwork.

In 1990, T. More moved his own family back to southern Minnespta., taking stewardship of his father’s childhood homestead and raising his children among the people that brought him joy decades earlier. Never one to embrace conformity, T. More stood out in the rural communities with his long, braided ponytail, booming voice, progressive views, and of course, the extended (and off-key) Hynes family birthday song.

T. More began a friendship with Bill W. and Dr. Bob on Sept. 6, 1981 that lasted one day at a time all the way until his final breath. In addition to being a friend and guide to others in their sobriety journey, T. More spent the second half of his career as a counselor at an adolescent treatment center. He used his life experiences to aid young people in need of safety, structure and support, often starting with the comfort of reading stories from Winnie the Pooh by A.A. Milne.

Often wrong, but never uncertain, T. More is best remembered for his roguish charm bolstered by unfettered honesty, a love for storytelling, and a strong command of a colorful vocabulary delivered in his distinct timbre. Never to be called Thomas or Tom, he was the “Bear of Very Little Brain” to many, “Me. More” to some, “Uncle Stick-in-the-Mud” to a select few, and will aways be “Honey” to his wife.

In addition to his wife, Mary, he is survived by his 4 children and their families, Joseph Christian (Muttley Muttburger the dog), Jesse Daniel (Emily; Lucky, Goldie), Kylah McCarty (John; Hynes, Evet), and Michael Teagan (Emily; McKenna, Ellis); sisters Mary and Brigid; brothers Denis, Patrick, Hilary, and Christopher; nieces and nephews; and a countless number of cousins and friends.