A tragic climbing accident claimed the life of 32-year-old Tommy Fountain, who fell to his death Nov. 30 on Mount Jefferson in Oregon. Mr. Fountain and his 29-year-old wife, Alison, were climbing Oregon's second-highest peak at the time of the accident.

Mr. Fountain, who lived in McMinville, OR, was a buyer for Topco Associates LLC, a retail food purchasing company.Tommy Fountain inspecting potatoes at a Potandon Produce field in Blackfoot, ID, in September 2014. Photo courtesy of Collette Herrick.

According to Sgt. Chris Baldridge of the Marion County Sherriff's Office, the couple had reached an elevation of 8,800 feet when the accident occurred. Mr. Fountain fell into a crevasse in difficult terrain. Rescue efforts, hampered by the terrain and extreme weather, resumed on Dec. 1. Alison Fountain, who spent the night on the mountain, was able to text her family and rescuers during the ordeal. Her husband's body was recovered that day.

Collette Herrick, packaging coordinator at Eagle Eye Produce Inc., said she met Mr. Fountain while she worked at Potandon Produce LLC. “Tommy was one of a kind,” she told The Produce News. “When I met him, you could feel the energy coming from him. Everyone loved Tommy.”

Mr. Fountain had just come into his position as a buyer when the two met in Idaho. “Tommy was just like talking to a regular person,” Herrick recalled. “He was very excited to know the business and genuinely interested in knowing the vendors. He was very personal and very professional.”Tommy Fountain in his climbing gear. Photo courtesy of Alison Fountain/Facebook.

The friendship continued to grow over the years, and Herrick said she always enjoyed seeing him at trade shows. “He had a fantastic sense of humor. He had a lust for life,” Herrick said, adding, “My heart just broke [hearing about his accident].”

Chris Sobczak, sales account manager at RPE, was also deeply affected by Mr. Fountain's death. The two met in 2011. “Tommy was more than just a buyer to me. He was, is, and always will be a very close and personal friend of mine,” Sobczak told The Produce News. “Tommy’s passion was invigorating and powerful and yet, sometimes just downright exhausting. His true heart, though, laid in the hands of two ladies and one mountain. Tommy spoke so many times of how he just wanted to give his daughter Penelope, aka Peanut, her life lessons and every experience a daddy could give to his daughter. His other lady is his one true love, his soul mate, his wife Alison. She has this way of turning Tommy upside and keeping my friend grounded and headed towards their goal. Lastly, we were just talking this past Friday how someday he will get to Everest and tackle that beast. You touched so many lives for the positive. We all thank you. Take care, my friend.”

Chris Reynolds, national sales coordinator for Triple T Transport Inc., said Mr. Fountain was an inspiration to everyone who met him. “He was one of those guys who stood out above the rest," he said. "I talked with him almost daily. He was always positive.”

Whether at work or at play, Reynolds said Mr. Fountain always worked his magic. “When he proposed to Alison, he did it on top of Mount Kilimanjaro,” he told The Produce News. “He took her to the heights of the world.”

Reynolds said Mr. Fountain was a goodhearted, fun person. “He worked with so many different suppliers, shippers, etc. in the produce world, and he will be missed by many,” he said. “I really feel the most for his family and hope that they can know that he has touched so many, and he will be missed.”