Tuesday, May 31, 2011

Your Memories of Tom

Sun-Times:  Political Voice, Social Activist Tom Roeser Dies at 82

Mr. Roeser is survived by his wife of more than 50 years, the former Lillian Prescott, four children and 13 grandchildren.

Visitation will be Friday, 4 to 9 p.m. at Nelson Funeral Home, 820 Talcott Road, Park Ridge. A funeral will be at 11 a.m. on Saturday at St. John Cantius Church, 825 N. Carpenter St. in Chicago followed by burial at Interment All Saints Cemetery, 700 N. River Road in Des Plaines.

Please your memories of Tom in comments below.

40 comments:

  1. Requiem aeternam dona eis Domine Et lux perpetua luceat eis Requiescant in pace Amen

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  2. Rest in peace, Tom. You had a sharp eye, a long memory, and an honest heart. You will be missed.

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  3. RIP Mr Roeser indeed. God Bless you and a life fully engaged. In this careful, artificial and calculating world of today, we are not likely to see the likes of Tom Roeser again

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  4. Rest in peace, Mr. Roeser.

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  5. I, a mostly-liberal, have always admired Tom's intellectual honesty. I've listened to him for decades. SOmetimes he persuaded me to change my mind! I could count on him to tell me the truth and facts without concealing them behind an other agenda. Chicago and politcal thought have lost a beacon.

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  6. Well done Tom, a life well lived. Pray for us!

    Rich Freeman

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  7. God bless Tom Roeser, and give comfort to the Roeser family at this time of great loss. What sad news to read this morning, it's a loss for Chicago, the people of Illinois and indeed for all people of conscience all across the US. All of us have lost a great man, a true voice for what was right, and faithful to Christ's teachings.

    Mary from Warwick, RI

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  8. Rest in Peace, TOm.

    You were a man of terrific insight and an effective communicator, and teacher. I learned a lot from you.

    Smile upon us, and may strength find its way throughout your family and friends.

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  9. Tom contended with the rich and the powerful on his own terms, suitably enlightened by the traditional Catholic beliefs and practices that he learned and perfected, way back when, with the help of his beloved Rev. Fr. Ernie. Because of this, and his extensive business and government experience, Tom was a hard guy to fool.

    Much like the late Archbishop Fulton Sheen, Tom always managed to deliver his insightful messages with style and grace … coupled with an appropriate dose of humor.

    Tom was a great guy. We’ll miss him … a lot. I would also like to extend my sincere condolences to the entire Roeser family.

    Eternal rest grant unto him, O Lord, and let perpetual light shine upon him. May Tom’s soul and all the souls of the faithful departed, through the mercy of God, rest in peace. Amen.

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  10. John from New JerseyJune 1, 2011 at 10:34 AM

    I have been a fan of Tom Roeser since attending the University of Chicago in the 1990's. He had the best show on WLS. He will be sorely missed. The only consolation is that he is now with our Lord. He was a true giant in the conservative movement and a wonderful defender of the true faith.

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  11. eternal rest grant unto him O Lord! I will miss Tom's awesome insight!
    Steve

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  12. Mr. Roeser's family will be in my prayers. I am so sad Tom's voice is silent. He is now rejoicing in Heaven and his words and writings will continue to influence humanity. Thank you, Tom, so much for the education, the love and the guidance.

    Fran
    Houston

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  13. In paradisum deducant te Angeli....et cum Lazaro, quondam paupere, aeternam habeas requiem.

    Father, Catholic, educator, a man in full. I will miss him.

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  14. 'Tis a mighty sad day for our country to lose our faithful scribe who always told it like it is. Now the Chicago gang can get away with its dirty tricks without Tom there to call their hand or hold their feet to the fire. Although I live in Osprey, FL I felt like I was on top of the news every morning with his humorous and inspiring philosophy of life. I will truly miss this "One of a kind guy". Jack Walker

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  15. May God grant Tom eternal rest and bring comfort to his family. An honest, upright man and faithful Catholic. He will be sorely missed.

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  16. The grief we feel as friends is unmeasurable, so I can not image the suffering of the Roeser family. Tom is the single greatest teacher I have ever known, period. Love and respect, Patrick McDonough

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  17. We worked together for a short time at Catholic Views television, but I will always remember you in my prayers.

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  18. Sorry to hear the news. I enjoyed the blog and always read Tom's artcles in the Wanderer. It kept me up to date with Illinois politics. I use to be a resident of Illinois and had to relocate to the Upper Peninsula of Michigan. So it was refreshing to keep up with news from home.

    He had the whole Illinois political scene down pat. I saw first hand how the "system" works when I worked with a large contractor from the suburbs. It was nice to see this monster exposed. Too bad most people are indifferent but thank God for people like Tom.

    I remember Tom when he spoke at the Rockford Catholic Men's Conference. I think he followed Father Pfleger. His topic put the radical priest's talk to shame in my opinion. Tom's speech was too short. I could have listened to him go on all day if allowed.

    Rest in peace Tom.

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  19. A great voice against the evil that had infiltrated and tried to corrupt American Politics and our beloved Catholic Church, has been silenced...so WHO will be up Tom's trumpet, his sword and his shield?....
    Tom LOVED the Battle and was good at it......God had other plans...but I sure hope HE (God) sends us help soon!...NUTS!
    John Guerin, Former Memeber NYS Assembly (Ret.)

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  20. My Sunday night radio listening will not be quite the same. I will miss Mr. Roeser's keen insight and unwavering standards. He taught me a thing or two over the years, and I'll admit that's not easy to do.

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  21. Tom,

    Rest in peace in the loving embrace of Our Savior! And may all of your family and acquaintances experience that same peace.

    I really appreciate your insights, recollections and opinions. I especially enjoyed the way you conveyed them.

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  22. Mr. Roeser was a great voice and a great narrator of Illinois and national politics. I only began to read him here a few years ago; I regret that I didn't follow him more.

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  23. I became acquainted with Tom several years ago. I eagerly looked forward to his blog each morning. He wrote about things dear to my heart-national politics, the Catholic church and my beloved home town of Chicago.
    Good bye Tom. Rest in peace. May God Bless you and your family

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  24. My respect for this great conservative and unappologetic Catholic is very high. Tom fought the good fight, and although I join many in mourning this great man and praying for the comfort of his family, we have a responsibility now to continue the battle he so well fought in. It is not true we will never see another Tom Roeser. Now, it is ours to recognize others of the same spirit, promote them, encourage them, allow new voices to grow into the place of respect and influence he had. God Bless the great and happy memory of our dear friend Tom Roeser.

    Father, please call your chosen troops to fill the gap in the line for the fallen hero. Fill his place with men and women of equal honor, integrity, talent and a humble heart seeking to serve Christ with the work of thier life and words of thier mouth.

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  25. I loved Tom's non-holds-barred approach. He is irreplaceable.
    See a tribute to him at my website, http://www.fgfBooks.com... along with a photo and two recent columns.

    Pray that Our Lord will raise up journalists who will imitate Tom's reporting and gutsiness.

    My condolences to family, friends, and all readers of his column and listeners of his radio show. May he rest in peace!

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  26. Tom’s Conservatism eschewed the Invade The World view of (some of) the Right and his Catholicism had no room for the Invite The World designs of the social justice crowd.

    This and his radio work with Messrs. Leahy, Penn and Fleming make it difficult to remember that my loss is insignificant compared to this city’s. (Just imagine how he would have dealt with the North Ave. Beach fiasco.)

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  27. Mr. Tom Roeser was an amazing wordsmith with experience in many arenas of life and he held out his friendship to his readers, followers, and opponents. He challenged us to new levels of discernment and taught more by accident than most do on purpose. Miss him, love him, remember him. My condolences to his family.

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  28. The Frenchman who sniped "the graveyards are full of indispensible men" hadn't known Tom Roesser.

    I can't think of a single person in the local electronic media who doesn't value access to City Hall (then or now) more than telling the truth to us, the taxpayers.

    What's more, Tom didn't sound as if he'd just finished cramming with Nat'l Review (or worse Weekly Standard).

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  29. Of all the postings Tom made on this blog, my favorites were those covering the careers of Hubert Humphrey and Eugene McCarthy. It was a searing view of two influential men, and their times. I do hope Tom's recounting of their story will be edited and preserved.

    My condolences to Tom's family, friends, and colleagues.

    Requiescat in pace, et omnes dicent, amen.

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  30. Tom Roeser was among the finest. A conservative scholar with boundless generosity.

    Tom will be missed, and my Sunday evenings will never be the same.

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  31. Thank you Mr. Roeser for playing God Bless America on your radio show. RIP. I will miss your smart radio show.

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  32. YEP, time goes by. I am thankful that you helped out at Haymarket. You are the reason I even know that father ignatius existed and founded the center. We must give to others if we can, I do, and you wonderfully did too. John Joseph aka tom ryan.

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  33. Tom, please talk to God about this Obama character and ask him to shine his light on the gop in 2012. tom rayn,

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  34. I never met Tom, but I will miss him. May his reward be great!

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  35. We were opposites politically but I enjoyed hearing him discuss the issues of the day.
    Sentimentally I remember him talking about his beloved McTavish.
    He once noted how he (McTavish) would sleep in his bed with his head on the pillow, under the covers and would scrunch up his eyes real tight when the light came on. Also, when they were out in the car and McTavish saw a dog on the street Tom would drive around the block so he got another look at him.
    From one dog lover to another, I bid you a fond farewell.

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  36. I have a regret.

    I have been meaning to contact Mr. Roeser for months to tell him how much I appreciate his work and his columns in the Wanderer -- particularly his recent one about meeting presidential candidate Ronald Reagan at O'Hare Airport. Tom tells how Mr. Reagan always carried a small bag of handyman tools along with him, always, "just in case he needed them." With his bag of tools he carried (even as a presidential candidate), Reagan fixed the dripping faucet in the hotel room he was staying in. I think this was Tom's greatest column.

    I think Tom is one of the last of the "old guard" in Chicago, the Chicago we like to remember: a person who loves Chicago, loves the Church, loves Conservativism. One who can have lunch with Mayor Daley and ask him, point blank, why he supports abortion, as a Catholic.

    He was a perfect match for another existing "old guard" in Chicago, the great WLS, still going strong going on 90 years.

    I hope to meet Tom in heaven and tell him the things I neglected to tell him here. I wanted to meet him, but hope to in the future.

    I believe he was truly a great man. I am having a Mass said for him. I have been very saddened about his passing.

    He also keeps the flame of hope burning for those of us who love the great city of Chicago.

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  37. Are there any plans to put some of his columns into a collection?

    Fran Griffin
    Fitzgerald Griffin Foundation, www.fgfBooks.com

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  38. Tom
    You changed my life! My profession and religion are all because you had faith in me and wanted me to be my best. I have to thank you most for bringing me and my family home to our faith. How much more can you do for someone but bring them to eternal life? We will always love you and Lil and Joanna and Johnny are proud that you both were their God Parents. I will miss having lunch and planning the next move. I will speak to you every night in prayer, if you can look down every now and then and give me a hand I would appreciate it

    Jim Leahy

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  39. My condolences to the family. I certainly hope this blog site is kept, because it is a library of wisdom that should be available for people to go through. And I hope a collection of Tom's best is collected in a book someday.

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