Thomas Weston Lindsey was the youngest son of Thomas Weston Lindsey and Sarah K. Paele of Waimea, Hawaiʻi. He rode for Kahuā and Parker Ranches before he worked for W.H. Shipman, Ltd., where he met and married the love of his life, Jane Shipman. 

His first assignment with W.H. Shipman, Ltd. was to clear the lands of wild cattle from Keaʻau to Pahoa to King’s Landing at South Hilo. With two men and a mixed pack of hounds, he removed most of the wild herds in about three years.

Tommy then became the foreman of W.H. Shipman, Ltd.’s Keauhou and ʻĀinahou Ranches. This included lands below the Chain of Craters road and above the Kilauea Military Camp Recreation Center, to the lower slopes of Mauna Loa at Keawewai, across the Puʻuʻōʻō Trail, to the lower pastures of Puʻuʻōʻō Ranch on the slopes of Mauna Kea. 

When Keauhou Ranch was sold, Tommy became the manager of Puʻuʻōʻō Ranch. His first objective was to reduce the number of wild cattle mixed in with the breeding herds. He accomplished this task with his tough and able cowboys and his specially bred dogs. 

He would then focus on the implementation of the “quiet and gentle manner” of working the domesticated herds by moving them quietly and gently from paddock to paddock. Replacement heifers were also carefully selected by confirmation and attitude. He also viewed the Puʻa ʻĀkala section of the ranch as a resource for high elevation grazing for finishing cattle from weaning to slaughter. The Hakalau, Honohina and Makahanaloa paddocks were then set aside for the new calf crops each year thereafter. 

Tommy joined the Mauna Kea Soil and Water Conservation District (MKSWCD) as a member and later an officer. The partnership was a benefit to the ranch resulting in improved pastures and water conservation, as well as, new grasses and legumes. Over his twenty years with MKSWCD, he was awarded recognition for his successful application of conservation techniques. Tommy’s management skills were again expanded at Keaʻau Ranch and ʻĀinahou Ranch. The Keaʻau paddocks were subdivided and the grass improved to aid in the rapid conversion of yearlings to finished beef. ʻĀinahou Ranch became the center of a purebred Santa Gertrudis stud farm. 

Deeply rooted in his Hawaiian heritage, he became an authority on Native medicinal plants, especially Lobelia. Lobelia lindseyensis, which he discovered on the slopes of Mauna Kea was named in his honor. He championed the preservation of rare and endangered plant life. 

Tommy Lindsey is remembered as a rugged and tough cowboy whose rich baritone voice and ʻukulele playing touched so many ears. He is remembered for his riding and roping feats, especially in the wild country, his ranching and managerial skills, his sensitivity, understanding and treatment of people and animals alike. He is remembered also for his continued self‑improvement always reaching to quench his ever inquisitive mind.