Tom Light was driven by the goal of seeking perfection in every aspect of his life. He was the owner of Lighthouse Builders, a construction and remodeling company that worked extensively across the Northern Neck.
His work was readily identifiable, both by the attention to detail that it exhibited and by the precision of all facets of the projects coming together, but most of all, those who knew him recognized that each of the jobs that he undertook qualified as a true labor of love.
Bringing order out of chaos was one of Tom’s specialties. On one project, he was confronted by the virtual collapse of the interior of a large Victorian home, the result of a severe storm that had pounded the unoccupied property. Tom came to the task prepared and he set out to right what the storm had wrought. The result was better than the original.
Later, when the house was razed to be replaced by a modern home, I commiserated with him over the loss of what I called one of his masterpieces. He replied that he had enjoyed the task of saving the house, and what would follow did not diminish the pleasure he got from overcoming the challenge the restoration had posed.
In a similar situation at another property, damage caused by burst pipes in the ceiling again brought forth the essence of Tom’s ingenuity, and again his product was better than the original. True to his nature, Tom always left things better off than he had found them.
Tom was a native of Richmond, who came to the Northern Neck after serving in the U.S. Army. He and his wife, Jean, were avid boaters, Jean having served as the commodore of the Indian Creek Yacht Club. All his life, Tom was fascinated by the water, an interest that found its way into most conversations with him.
With respect to boating, he was as geared to precision as he was in construction. In The Wind in the Willows, Kenneth Graham wrote, “there is nothing—absolutely nothing—half as much worth doing as simply messing around in boats.” That quotation expresses the epitome of Tom’s fascination with life on the water. He and Jean sailed all over the Chesapeake Bay and its tributaries, familiarizing themselves with numerous coves and inlets in a spirit worthy of Captain John Smith.
Last year my Good Wife and I attended an event in Richmond sponsored by The Virginia Home, a charity that cares for people with disabilities. The featured speaker for the evening was the actress, Brooke Shields. Prior to her address, we had the opportunity to speak with her, after which I told Tom that inasmuch as he had come to consider himself to have reached semi-retirement from the construction business, I would offer to act, for a small fee, as his agent in arranging for him to enter the world of dramatics as Brooke’s costar in future films.
In his typical fashion, he demurred saying that he did not know if he really would like acting. I think Tom saw acting as a façade, whereas he was more concerned with the bricks and mortar of construction, or perhaps in his case the more accurate metaphor is to say, the “carpentry” of construction.
In recent years, Tom had encountered some serious health concerns, and last week he died at the age of 76. He leaves behind a legacy of hard work, impeccable integrity, and dedication to the purpose of doing his best in every situation in which he found himself.
William Thomas Light, March 6, 1948 – October 5, 2025. R. I. P.
