Thomas J. Corritore
July 11, 1940 – November 11, 2021
A Celebration of Life: Saturday, November 27th from 3pm to 6 pm followed by a MEMORIAL SERVICE at 5:00 pm, all at West Center Chapel. Memorials are suggested to the Gale Sayers Memorial Fund at Omaha Central High School, any animal rescue organization or shelter, or the charity of your choice.
<<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>><<>>
Thomas J. Corritore, aka Thom or Tommy Joe, was a proud native son of Omaha, Nebraska, spending his formative years around 22nd and Pierce Street, which was populated by many Italian families, along with many other nationalities. He liked them all.
He had a younger brother, Joe, whom he was fiercely protective. Typical kids, they grew up loving to play cowboys, influenced by their idols, Bob Steele, Gene Autry, Roy Rodgers, and many more. One of the unique talents of Thom was his memory. He could remember everything about a person, a place, an event, you name it. And he never lost that gift in all his 81 years.
He made friends easily and he nurtured all those friendships. Unlike some, Thom never let them slip too far away before he brought them back into his life. He loved them all, young, old, rich, poor, it made no difference. Thom and his parents and brother lived with his grandparents whom he adored. His father, Louis, was a proud lifer at Union Pacific; his mother, Lucille, was an accompanist for her niece’s dance studio. Thom soaked up new things like a sponge. He loved horses, so he got a horse and loved to ride. Thom loved pro wrestling, so his grandfather took him to see the shows. Of course, he got to know the promoters and all the wrestlers. Thom loved sports, so he played them all. He talked Mr. Rotella into sponsoring a baseball team he was putting together in grade school and got the team uniforms. If Thom couldn’t play, he would be the team manager. He lettered in wrestling in high school at Central, graduating in 1957.
When Thom went to Omaha University, he took sports classes to learn the finer points of basketball and football and baseball. If he couldn’t play – being a little too short for team sports, then he wanted to broadcast the games. Thom was in and out of college, working in retail clothing (very proud of being at Nebraska Clothing Co; traveling around Nebraska and Iowa for many years for Brown and Williamson and R.J. Reynolds, calling on grocers and pharmacists (he only smoked a pipe); then selling light bulbs (only he could make that fun), and then becoming a food purveyor, making so many friends in the restaurant industry. He wanted to open a barbecue restaurant and practiced smoking meats, but broadcasting still beckoned. Thom was afraid he had entered that arena too late, but he managed to carve out a 40-year career in radio, TV and cable, including working overnights writing news, driving around issuing traffic reports, and running a religious radio station in Council Bluffs, Iowa, all the while holding down “day jobs.” He became one of Omaha’s first baristas, which led to him becoming a sales associate and trainer for Sears. In those careers, Thom had the opportunity to meet many, many people and make many new friends.
He was an altar boy who usually lived up to those standards. Thom was loquacious, which didn’t always serve him well in school, but it did in life beyond school. A natural born salesman, he never met a stranger. Thom could make friends quickly and so he did. He used his rich, easy-to-listen-to voice on the radio, first hosting jazz shows, a trivia show (“Hollywood, Radio and the Tube”), then calling sports. Thom started with UNO Maverick football alongside legend Joe Patrick. He broadcast Creighton U’s baseball games for five years, then Nebraska baseball games for another five, then back to Creighton for some more. His biggest thrill was broadcasting the College World Series games that Creighton was in, right alongside national broadcasters like Greg Gumble.
Then he turned his attention to high school sports, becoming the voice of Millard Schools football for 15 years, right up to 2020, through his company Broadcast Sports. Thom broadcast high school basketball – boys and girls, and high school baseball tournament games. He was a pioneer of regular school’s sports broadcasts, mentoring many future broadcasters along the way. He aired Legion Baseball playoff games from South Dakota. All along the way, he met ADs, coaches, players, parents and sponsors. Most of them became friends. Some players went on to become professional players and coaches. Thom kept those ties open. Social media was his friend. He found he could keep in even better touch with people, typing away with his hunt-and-peck method.
You would think that would be enough, but he also had a love of music, jazz in particular. Thom taught himself to play the drums and he played by ear, not being able to read music. His career as a jazz drummer (and occasionally drummer of other genres) spanned several decades. He loved listening to and playing jazz. Thom knew all the musicians in town and traveled to places like San Francisco, California, and New Orleans, Louisiana, to hear the big names like Buddy Rich. He struck up a conversation with a couple of musicians walking down the street in the Latin Quarter in Paris and discovered mutual friends.
Ironically, it was throat cancer that silenced his broadcast voice and rendered him unable to eat. He battled the cancer caused by the HPV virus that now has a vaccine, for nearly three years, enduring radiation, chemo, surgery, immunotherapy, and finally, metastasis to his lung. It was a painful journey, but he never, ever gave up.
Thom never considered himself a big success, always regretting that he didn’t land that “big, high-paying job” somewhere. But he was a successful man, rich in experiences and friendships and the freedom to express himself in ways he loved. Thom was also a successful husband, just ask his wife, Lorraine. They were together 39 years, 15 of them as husband and wife, all of them joined at the hip. If those things are a measure of a successful man, then Thom rose to the top of his game.
Thom is survived by his wife, Lorraine Boyd; his close cousin, Celianne Procopio LaRosa; nephews: Michael, Louis and Thomas; many cousins; a houseful of cats and a dog. He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, and his beloved dog, Teddy.
10 Comments
My old broadcast partner doing UNO football and basketball. Great memories.
Tom was my old broadcast partner doing UNO football and basketball on KVNO, when we were students. Great memories.
I met Thom and Loraine some years ago and immediately became friends. His joy of life was infectious and his love of telling stores was legendary. He will be missed by so many people and I am one of those. God bless those who grieve and let God hold him in his arms.
Tom’s enthusiasm for sports & the media business in Omaha was memorable to say the least! My condolences to his family and many friends. And to who ever wrote his loving obituary, you did a really nice job.
One of the best obits ever Lorraine. So beautifully written and so true. Tommy was one of a kind. He invited me to lunch with Joe Patrick at Anthony’s years ago and it was so much fun. Will never forget your husband.
RIP my dear friend. I will cherish all the memories we had together while I was coaching at Omaha North HS. You and Matt were always a positive influence during my coaching career. Thanks for always staying in touch after I left Omaha. As you and Matt always told me “Take-A-The-Win” in that smooth Italian voice. You will be missed my friend.
Thom and I worked together at Sears for a few years in the 90s. Anytime we worked together it was guaranteed to be a great time. I still tell many of his ridiculous jokes to this day. He loved to talk to people and sell. It didn’t matter that we didn’t work on commission, but he could get someone that came in for socks to walk out with a suit. I always got a kick out of how he’d tell us that he “could sell a ketchup popsicle to a woman wearing white gloves.” The greatest honor was when Thom asked me to help out on his high school football broadcasts. It was nothing more than helping set up the equipment and keeping stats, but it made a 17 year old kid feel pretty important, Thom was more than just a friend. He was a mentor who influenced me greatly. He will be missed.
A fellow trivia nut. Did a story for KETV on Tom’s radio trivia show. He’ll be missed.
I knew Thom very well from days at UNO during late 1970’s when I did the Sandy Buda pregame interview and Thom was a often around KVNO. A great guy to be around and very helpful to me as I was beginning a job as all night jock at KYNN radio at the time. Very encouraging and just a great guy to be around. My condolences to his broadcast partner, Howard Borden, a good friend who lost his broadcasting partner
Lorraine, Jon & I send our belated condolences. We always loved running into you guys – at the movies, at Fernando’s, or just around town. We are so sorry for your loss.
Sign Guestbook