Wednesday, October 01, 2014
Tom Tierney is a cross between a Hollywood Star and a Superhero to all of us. I will go through the star roles he played, and his superhero power which was to to be there for people when they needed it the most.

BUSINESSMAN; There are too many different types of businesses to mention them all, but he cherished all of his partners and roles he had in all of them. He is probably scoping out a piece of property in Heaven right now and saying, "this would be a great spot for a golf course."

FRIEND; One of the many roles he cherished the most, and his friends are spread from coast to coast and from Hawaii to Peru. At the top of this list is Jack Tills who shared the nickname "HALF", with the obvious meaning that they were "WHOLE" when they were together. Again too many names to mention, but please know that you can fill a giant piece of farmland with everyone he called friend.

MENTOR; He enjoyed this role very much as it gave him a great sense of purpose. No matter what role you fall under, he was a mentor to us all.

UNCLE; As we move into family, his passion intensified and not only was he a great uncle to all of his nieces and nephews, but there are so many more that called him UNCLE TOMMY.

SON; He loved his parents very much, and like all his family members there was nothing he wouldn't and more importantly couldn't do for them. Recently my Grandmother passed away, and the one smile that comes from a day like today, is that he is with them now. I can only hope that Grandma is making him eat Spagetti'Os as we speak.

BROTHER/BROTHER-IN-LAW; I am sure it was quite entertaining to say the least growing up with Dad, but to sum up this role, each of you have a story of calling him in a time of need and he came through with flying colors. This is where his Super Powers began. I don't think you need me to tell you how much he loved each and every one of you,

GRANDFATHER; This role leaves me wondering a little. Why are his grandchildren (Ryan and Erin) allowed to do things that my sisters and I were not? 
Vacations with the grandchildren were the highlight of each year for him. The smiles and memories tell the story. Just five short years ago we were skiing in the Rocky Mountains, when both my children came up next to me on the trail and said, "Dad, Grandpa is so much of a better skier then you are", and then took off chasing him down the mountain.

FATHER; My sisters (Kristen and Heather), my brother-in-law Gino, and my wife Maureen and I could not have picked a better role model. He just loved us being around and played this role to how it is written in the textbook. He did have a way of talking without speaking, and screaming without raising his voice, but two minutes later he was a big softy.

Finally HUSBAND; He loved Mom with every ounce in his body. They had a fairy-tale marriage that people read or dreamed about. Mom was the apple of his eye, and I would be remised if my siblings and I did not recognize our Mother's effort, sheer will and determination in the care of Dad over the last few years.

He played all of these roles to the best of his ability, and deserves and EMMY for all of them.
He checked all the boxes he wanted to, and did it his way. He took the blame, and gave away the credit, which is the sign of a real man.

Finally, I would like to talk about the DASH, 1943-2014. The numbers mean nothing, and the dash means everything. The dash tells the story of ones life, and this mans dash was legendary. If we all could learn to work on our DASH the way my father did, the world would be a better place.

This journey had many hands of help along the way. We would like to thank all of the family, friends, with a special shout-out to Lyndsey, who we consider family, fellow employees, business partners, students and parents, and the Francis of Assisi family for all of your willingness and strength.

This has been the first time I have been to a viewing/funeral mass where there was no casket. This is also the first time the person's life that was being 
celebrated was dressed in a Hawaiian shirt. So, continuing with the theme of "first's", would you please join my family and I in giving Tom Tierney a standing ovation.

Thank you,
Seth