Thomas G. Vollrath, 60
Thomas G. Vollrath, age 60, passed away suddenly on Sunday, December 1, 2019.
He was also known as Tom, Tommy, T-bird, and Cap.
He was born June 29, 1959, the sixth of eight children to Donald and Marianne Vollrath in Sheboygan, Wis. As the baby boy in the family, he was notoriously the naughty one. He was also his mother’s favorite.
Family moves led him to Arkansas and Mississippi where he left his mark before returning to Wisconsin. He won a blue ribbon at the Prentiss County fair where he showed the family cat (it was the only entry!). In his youth, he also enjoyed fishing, basketball, and his motorcycle.
After graduating from SPASH in 1977 he attended UWSP and graduated from UW-Stout where he found his calling in hospitality and tourism. This led to managing Country Clubs in Wausau, Lacrosse, and Wisconsin Rapids. His other professions included Sysco, St. Anthony Spirituality Center, and Benedictine Living Community of Wausau. He was most recently employed at Pride TLC in Weston. He was very devoted to his career.
Tom married Justeen Mallo on August 27, 1988. They had three beautiful children together, Elizabeth, and fraternal twins, Steven and Ryan. Tom and Justeen shared many laughs together and loved to banter back and forth. When the children graduated high school, they purchased motorcycles and spent many weekends traveling to remote areas of Wisconsin, stopping to enjoy meals at small cafés along the way. After 29 years together, they divorced.
Tom loved his children unconditionally. He had a very close bond with his daughter (Goose). He loved telling her about the exotic pets he had as a child, which included monkeys. Tom had a soft spot for animals and would often stop the lawnmower and ask his daughter to move snakes, toads, and other small animals to a safe spot. He loved and cared for the many adopted family dogs throughout the years. He thoroughly enjoyed spending time with his dog Teddy who had a comic personality. He enjoyed playing competitive sports with his sons, such as football and basketball. He had an extraordinary sense of humor which he passed onto his children. Tom could make anyone burst into laughter.
Tom loved football, the Green Bay Packers, and classic TV shows from the ’50s and ’60s. He loved cooking and entertaining for others. He was extremely creative and had a passion for his inventions. He has a current U.S. patent as of October 2019.
Tom spent his last three years of life living with his partner, Sally Conway and her children.
Tom is survived by his daughter Elizabeth (Matthew Tranetzke) and sons Steven and Ryan, and granddaughter Esmé. Tom is further survived by his siblings Penny Bader (James Bialke), Barbara/Bambi Griffin-Long (Mike Long), David (Tina), Mary (Jon Pagel), Margaret/Tiger (Tim Kumbier), Trish Harrell, sister-in-law Fran Vollrath (Gary Czaplewski), and many special nieces and nephews. Tom was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Marc. Both Marc and Tom were the two most active storytellers and mischief-makers in the family.
His warm smile and charm concealed his quick wit and prankster instinct. His love lives on in all he touched.
Funeral services for Tom will be held at 6 p.m. on Saturday, December 7, 2019, at the Shuda Funeral Chapel, 3200 Stanley St. in Stevens Point.
Friends and family may gather to celebrate Tom’s life from 3 p.m. until the time of services on Saturday at Shuda’s.
Online condolences may be sent by visiting www.shudafuneral.com.