This GoFundMe is for our 92 year old father, Thomas W Tate. He is currently in a rehabilitation clinic for a badly broken femur and a fracture in his left hand as the result of a serious fall on January 1st. He spent six days in the hospital for the fall and was then transferred to a rehabilitation facility.

Dad also needed a return visit to the ER when the newly repaired femur shifted (during a PT exercise) on the rod they placed inside the bone. This caused more damage and set him back significantly in his recovery. Unfortunately, Dad also lost much more blood than the surgeon expected during the surgery, which will now require time and care for his body to slowly rebuild. They also had to postpone badly needed carpal tunnel surgery on both of Dad's hands until he can walk safely again. That too will cause additional recovery time.

Up until the accident, Dad was healthy, sharp, walking well and able to drive himself without any problems. The doctors feel that if he gets the professional nursing care for the length of time he needs that he could make a full (or very near full) recovery. If things go well, at most, he might need to walk with a cane. Professional physical therapy at the rehabilitation center (or at home) has a good chance of fixing everything. Getting to that point will be a serious financial struggle.

Unfortunately, his insurance will not fully cover the length of stay that he will need to be able to recover and be safe when he returns home. Professional physical therapy at home will be needed if his insurance decides to cut him off completely, which is likely. Insurance also does not cover many incidentals like transport to and from the doctor and even some hospital trips as well.

Prescriptions, medical equipment like wheelchairs, walkers, ramps and other needed safety related accessories may only be partially covered, if at all. Basic things like groceries and utilities will also become much harder to handle financially. There may also be significant insurance copays for the stays at the hospital that have yet to come in.

Dad is well known in the local community for being kind, compassionate and approachable. Now, he needs a bit of help. Any donation you can give him is greatly appreciated.

His wife, Donna (married 66 years) passed away in 2021 and she was cared for at home by Dad to the very last. We, his remaining family, help him as much as we possibly can, but unfortunately, finances are very tight for everyone and not everyone has the good health anymore to be able to assist him directly as he needs. So we, and Dad, are turning to you.

Above: Tom and Donna on the farm working in their vegetable garden in 2014. Mom passed in January of 2021.

All donations go directly to Tom Tate's personal bank account. He will use them for his injury related medical bills, and costs of living while without his music income.

A bit more about Dad's musical career...

Dad has playing the piano since he was a young child. He has played professionally as well as playing many music gigs all of his adult life. Up until the 1st of January 2026, he was playing three nights a week at DaVinci's restaurant in Salem Oregon. He has played at DaVinci's for nearly the last fifteen years.

Dad started playing piano at 12 years old when he began hearing Boogie-Woogie being played on the old standup radio at home. At 13, he began playing with a band called "The Chieftains", a successful 5 piece jazz band that was touring the west coast and recorded on "Deca Label". The band broke up in Salem, but the band leader and his wife stayed in the Willamette Valley thinking that they could put the band back together with local talent from around the area.

They heard of Tom, the 13 year old boy who had gained a local reputation for being talented and musically proficient far beyond his young years. The band leader, Joe Daniels, was simply amazed when he heard him play. Despite Dad's age, he was soon part of the new group and they played up and down the valley. Joe also found two others from the valley to play with them as well, bringing it once again to five members. The band name changed twice, but they were soon a very popular local group. After a couple years, the band leader had to leave the area for family reasons and the band was once again finished.

The short experience provided Dad with the musical momentum he needed. Dad then started a band in the last years of high school and they quickly found themselves playing real dance jobs up and down the valley due to extensive word-of-mouth about how good they were. Locally, people began to hear of the "Boogie-Woogie Kid" and were routinely amazed when they heard him play.

In college, Tom put together a trio and they played weekends at a number of local nightspots. From there, his musical career quickly gained steam. He became known not just for Boogie-Woogie, but for being a very talented jazz pianist as well.

After college, he played with several different big bands and groups. He played with various Dixieland bands, the Capital City Jazz Band and the Oregon Jazz Band. He always went back to the smaller, piano, bass and drums, as it gave him the freedom to play as he wanted to.

Tom was offered many professional music jobs that would have required extensive time and travel, but he turned them down so that he could be close to his growing family. He also returned home to work and manage his families large farm, which required much hard work. He often worked all day on the farm and then played dance jobs late into the night. One of the groups he played with in the 1960s is pictured below. Dad is on the far left.

Tom played with many top notch bass and drummers, but when he ran into Ken Mace who played the bass and Gary Rhinevault who played drums, things just meshed musically. They became a popular local jazz trio and were lifelong friends. They were known simply as "The Tom Tate Trio". They played countless music jobs across the region and would play together for many, many years. Below: Dad on the left and bassist Ken Mace playing in 1980.

In the later years, Dad started playing at DaVinci's Restaurant and Wine Bar in Salem, Oregon. Below: Tom Tate playing at DaVinci's.

In Dad's words...

"I have been around DaVinci's for many years now. It has been my 'home away from home' for quite a while. It has a wonderful 'clientele' and the people that I work with are the best. Mo (the owner) is a great chef and has a loyal following. I have made many friends while I have worked there. I hope and pray that I will have more time to play the piano at DaVinci's.

It's going to take a while as I have to learn to to walk safely again. It is a slow process, but they say that I am making steady progress. Time to heal sufficiently is what will be needed now. Unfortunately, the big medical bills will be an issue as the tips and wages from DaVinci's has stopped. Thank you, and God bless you for your help."