Thomas P. Walsh Jr.

Thomas Patrick Walsh Jr. was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in both his approach to life and in his various relationships. He was tough-minded with the kind of "stick-to-it" attitude that earned the respect of all who knew him. He was also a man who was meticulously, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Tom was realistic about life and was always at the ready, prepared to take on any responsibility that faced him.

Tom came into the world on August 15, 1941. He first greeted the world in Seattle, King county Columbus Hospital. He grew up in San Bernardino, California. He was the son of Thomas and Muriel Walsh. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

Growing up, Tom was good at working through the usual family problems and spats when they appeared. He was the one person in the family who seemed to be the most able to keep the stress at bay. He was raised as an only child who was the type of person who seemed to be constantly involved in activities.

As a young child, Tom was never someone who needed to be the center of attention. He wasn’t pushy and never forced his way into games or other activities. Instead, he was willing to wait to be asked to join in. When asked, he would generally jump at the chance.

Tom developed a variety of interests as a child. And many of the things he enjoyed doing, he did quite well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Some of Tom's biggest accomplishments during this time included participating and winning in sports.

Though he wasn’t an overtly outgoing child, he did manage to be involved in a number of different areas. He was a member of The Boys Scouts of America, and he played for Willits High School Football Team. His hobbies included hunting, fishing, and camping. He enjoyed playing, and he loved adventure books, such as "Moby Dick.".

Tom was somewhat reserved about his relationships, but those who became his friends understood that he was true and loyal friend.

His most memorable years were when he was growing up on a horse ranch in Willits, North California. He loved to take care and tend the horses daily. He had regular chores with his horses he would feed, bath and exercise them daily.

While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Thomas as being a serious person, he managed to have a pretty good time in high school as he made that critical transition from adolescence to adulthood. He was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. He always seemed to have a command of the facts and was able to make it seem as though he could easily master any problem that might be presented to him. He graduated from Willits High School. While he was serious about his class work, he also took time to get involved in other aspects of high school as well. He was always involved

in sports teams. His most favorable teams to participate in were football and basketball. Tom's football team won the state championship when he was 17.

Though the teen years were primarily focused on education, there were plenty of things going on outside of school for Thomas he began to understand the meaning of responsibility at an early age. No matter what he was responsible for, he always made sure to be painstakingly meticulous. His first car was a 1949 black Ford pickup truck. In high school, Thomas took care of Nina and Stardust, his two horses and he had many dogs and cats throughout his life.

He was often cautious and careful about the people with whom he became close. There had to be some kind of spark for a relationship to develop. But there were more than sparks, there was magic when Thomas met Mitra Mortazavi. They met at a mutual friend’s house party upon her immediate arrival from overseas. Tom took Mitra to a 49ers championship football game in San Francisco.

The couple exchanged vows on April 31, 1983. This marked the beginning of their time together as a family. It was a simple civil ceremony in San Francisco. The bridesmaids were Carol Schmidt. Standing up with the groom were Kia Mortazavi and Stan Baker.

Compassionate and devoted to Mitra, Thomas held endearing, traditional values about marriage and family life. He took the responsibility of marriage to heart, giving it his total commitment. He was a source of strength to Mitra, and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy, no matter where they called home. Their first residence was in an apartment in Pacific Heights in San Francisco. Their first home together was in San Rafael, California.

In addition to being each other’s best friend, Thomas and Mitra were friends with Silvia and Mario Schuman, Roya and Nader Mansourian, and Debbie and Mike Brady. Thomas would often spend his time with Mitra and his friends at the San Rafael Racquet Club to play tennis. After Thomas and Mitra moved to Las Vegas he would often take his granddaughter Daisy to play tennis. This was a very memorable and cherished moment he had spending time teaching, coaching and playing in a sport they both were talented in together.

Thomas was an excellent father and loved his family dearly. He raised his children with the traditional values and stayed active in their lives. Thomas was a very well organized father and would take the time to be involved in his family’s daily tasks and agenda. He always made them feel important and essential to his life. He often relished in his families accomplishments whether it was academics with his son Payam or Kick Boxing events with Tara. He loved the time he spent with his family every opportunity he had to spend.

Thomas tried his best to make sure the children were raised in a warm and nurturing environment. Their house was large and spacious and they built the back yard together as a family. He was also very traditional about the holidays and vacations on which the family went. The family traveled to Bermuda, Hawaii and Disneyland. Later on in life, he was also blessed with two grandchildren, Daisy and Lily. His beautiful granddaughter’s soon became the new and exciting love and pride of his life.

Thomas greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same work ethic from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in just about every situation; this included small groups, one-on-one situations as well as solo tasks. He enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy or unclear information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, he was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to details, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. While he worked at several jobs over his lifetime, his primary occupation was working as Marketing and Sales in international transportation. He worked for State Steam Ships, Lykes Line, Senator Line, Cho Yan Line, and Matson Steam Ship as a Sales and Marketing Manager.

Thomas worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary to meet objectives. He was willing to do whatever it took to get the job done, even if that meant going the extra mile.

In the year of 1963, Thomas decided to enlist in the U. S. Army. He served in Greenland. He earned not only the respect of his fellow servicemen and women, but also was presented with various awards, including Marksman (rifle), Expert Marksman (Carbine). A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Thomas seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job at hand.

Thomas liked to experience things firsthand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies. He was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Thomas always tried to set aside a certain amount of time for working on his hobbies. Some of these hobbies included chess, soccer and tennis. He also enjoyed time out on his Harley for a nice afternoon ride. When it came to cuisine, he particularly enjoyed Cuba Libre, Persian food. He often would watch and take pleasure in the two television shows Mad Money and 2 ½ men. He also enjoyed watching his favorite athletic sporting events; his favorite team in football was the San Francisco 49ers and his favorite baseball team the San Francisco Giants.

Thomas was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He believed in the Golden Rules as a Catholic. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

When Thomas looked ahead toward retirement he did his best to be fully prepared. The day for him to leave the workforce came in 2006. He had begun planning retirement far in advance, so everything was set out well when the time came. He retired in Las Vegas, Nevada.

Even in retirement, Thomas continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. Some of his friends included Lois and Les, Eunice, Bill and Sharon, and Jeff and Jennifer.

Thomas Walsh left us on June 16th 2011. He passed away in Las Vegas, Nevada. He was 69 years old. The cause of death was cancer. He is survived by his wife Mitra, His two children Payam and Tara and two granddaughters Daisy and Lilly. Services were handled by Palm Mortuary.

Many would say that "commitment" is a word that best describes the life of Thomas Patrick Walsh Jr. he was committed to living the life of a good man who was both practical and trustworthy. He was committed to the traditional values that he upheld his entire life. He committed himself to being a hard worker who expected the same effort in return from others. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

Arrangements under the direction of Palm Cheyenne Mortuary, Las Vegas, NV.