Thomas E. Stevens

Thomas E. Stevens

February 10, 1938 – September 22, 2021

Thomas E. Stevens, 83, of Omaha, passed away peacefully surrounded by his family on Sept. 22nd at Methodist Hospital.

Tom was born on Feb. 10, 1938, to Dr. John E. and Ellen (Noonan) Stevens in Columbus, Neb. After attending St. Bonaventure Catholic School, he enrolled at Omaha University intending to become an accountant before switching to real estate appraisal. It was while in school when he attended a CYO dance at the Viking Ship in Omaha and a dark-haired beauty caught his eye. He loved her smile. She loved his dimples and his kind blue eyes. Tom would go on to marry that girl. He and Kay Brutsche were married at St. Therese Catholic Church on June 28, 1958. To this union, ten sons were born: Thomas, Michael, Christopher, Jeffrey, Darin, Robb, Corey, Jordan, Joel, and Devon.

Tom opened his own real estate appraisal company in 1974. Well respected for his knowledge in the field and an unrivaled work ethic, he made a name for himself as an appraiser with integrity, equally trusted in the residential and commercial and the public and private spheres. In 1984 he was elected president of the Nebraska Chapter 23 of the American Institute of Real Estate Appraisers.

But first and foremost, Tom was a family man. Few who knew him could imagine anyone who loved his family more.  He planned and executed elaborate vacations for his family, sparing no memory-making moments from Disneyland to New York City to a dozen Major League Baseball parks over the years. For two decades he coached CYO basketball, football and baseball teams for Blessed Sacrament School and touched hundreds of lives with his kind demeanor and ability to effortlessly teach fundamentals. Whether you were one of his sons or the countless kids he coached, he was your lifelong fan. Tom loved attending his children’s and grandchildren’s sporting events, plays and performances, never missing a chance to cheer the loudest.

While he and Kay divorced in 1978, they carried on so effectively as loving and dedicated co-parents it was often joked that both were better parents divorced than they were married. Christmas, Thanksgiving and July 4th were events celebrated by the entire family as tradition in his home and few invited missed the opportunity to attend.

Tom met partner Virginia “Ginny” Daisley in 1987 and the two spent 34 wonderful, loving years together dancing, dining out and taking drives in the country tabulating the fauna they encountered.

A lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals, the Nebraska Cornhuskers and the Creighton Bluejays, sports was a language Tom spoke well and he shared that dialect with his family. There wasn’t a Creighton home basketball game that he didn’t offer to share his season tickets or a fall Saturday that went by that his family didn’t gather at his home for Husker games.

A rock to so many, Tom’s was a life best lived when he was surrounded by those he loved and those who loved him back.  It was Maya Angelou who said, “A great soul serves everyone all the time.  A great soul never dies. It brings us together again and again.”

Tom was preceded in death by his parents; his brother, Dr. Edward Stevens; sisters, Kate Price and Margaret Gates; brother-in-law, Bob Gates; son, Darin Stevens; daughter-in-law, Amy Stevens; and granddaughter, Macy Stevens.  He is survived by his former wife, Kay Stevens; life partner, Virginia Daisley; sons: Thomas Stevens (Teri), Michael Stevens (Deb), Christopher Stevens, Jeffrey Stevens (Nancy), Robb Stevens (Jennifer), Corey Stevens, Jordan Stevens (Karen), Joel Stevens (Angee), and Devon Stevens (Jaime); daughter-in-law, Nikki Stevens; sister, Patricia Mueller; brother, John Stevens (Georgia); sister-in-law, Karen Stevens; 30 grandchildren; 19 great-grandchildren; 12 great-great-grandchildren; and too many others to list, all of whom loved him dearly.

VISITATION: Tuesday, Sept. 28^th, from 3pm to 5pm, and from 6:30pm to 7:30pm, followed by VIGIL SERVICE at 7:30pm, all at St. Robert Bellarmine Catholic Church, 11802 Pacific.  SERVICES: Wednesday, Sept. 29^th at 9:15am, West Center Chapel, to Sacred Heart Catholic Church, 2207 Wirt St., for MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL at 10am.  Interment, Calvary Cemetery.  Funeral Luncheon at 12:00 noon (following services) at Regency Lake & Tennis Club, 606 Regency Parkway. In lieu of flowers, the family has requested memorial donations to Macy’s Way Foundation.

To view live broadcasts of the Vigil Service, Mass, and Graveside Service, please go to www.heafeyheafey.com and click the “View Live Cast” button on the home page.