Mr. Thomas "Tom" John Holthaus Sr.

Thomas John Holthaus was a modest man, quiet and observant in his ways. He was trustworthy and traditional in his approach to his life and in his 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 meticulous, carefully disciplined, and orderly in virtually everything he undertook. Realistic about life, he was always at the ready, prepared to take on responsibility.

      Tom was born on August 17, 1926 at Spears Hospital in Dayton, Kentucky. His parents were Alma Pleiman and Bill Holthaus. Tom was raised on a farm in Fort Thomas, Kentucky. He was brought up to be self-confident and dependable. These were traits that would serve him well throughout his life.

      Growing up in the Holthaus household was a bit different than most homes. Tom lost his father at the young age of eleven. There were good times to be had, but just as often there was a fair share of challenges as well. However, Tom was able to work through the usual family problems when they appeared, and he was the one person in the family who seemed able to keep the stress at bay. Tom was raised with three siblings. He had one younger brother, Jim, and two younger sisters, Joan and Mary Ann. Both sisters died at young ages. Mary Ann at three, and Joan at nineteen. Tom was constantly involved in activities with his brothers and sisters. Tom and his siblings may have had the typical rivalries while growing up but Tom was always consistently loyal to his family as the caretaker of them.

      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. Tom developed a variety of interests, though, and the things he enjoyed doing he did well. He was always curious about the world around him and was often eager to explore it. Tom took part in tennis, as a young child. He was a server for mass. In his spare time he liked to play accordion. Tom's memorable dedication included riding the streetcar to Cincinnati to take accordion lessons. However, what Tom enjoyed most was simply playing and spending time with his many friends. He also worked hard on the family farm.

      While his teachers and even his friends generally thought of Tom 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 enjoyed some courses more than others, having favorite classes and teachers. He worked delivering telegrams to pay for his tuition. Tom was a very logical person who enjoyed learning about factual information. Using his exceptional memory, he was able to learn much through observation. Tom 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.

      College life brought with it a new set of challenges, but Tom handled them well. Being a critical thinker who always remained intellectually independent, Tom was able to focus on the task at hand in order to complete his class work. He seemed to thrive on college reading assignments, something that often bogged down his classmates. Tom was able to read the material and retain the information in a way that impressed his fellow classmates. The ability to efficiently complete the task at hand was a skill that served Tom well during his college experience. He earned his Associates Degree in Business from Villa Madonna, which later became Thomas Moore College. He also attended Xavier University in Cincinnati, Ohio.

      Always considered to be a solid friend, Tom was fortunate to have numerous acquaintances and several very close friends during his life. Since he disliked making generalizations about people and preferred to draw his own conclusions based on direct observation, Tom was able to see beneath the surface of relationships and became a true friend to those who knew him. He was committed to his friends and valued the trust he placed in them. It was not uncommon for Tom to go beyond the call of duty for others, and friends frequently sought him out for advice because he had a knack for coming up with practical solutions to any type of dilemma. While growing up, some of his best friends were Charlie Wolf, Jim Nolan, and Father Velton. Later in life, he became friends with Father Rosing and continued his childhood friendships.

      On October 3, 1953 Tom exchanged wedding vows with Kathleen McClorey at Saint Mary's in Hyde Park in Cincinnati, Ohio. Compassionate and devoted to Kathleen, Tom 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 Kathleen and using his gifts at nurturing one-on-one relationships, he worked hard to make his new family happy.

      Tom brought the same traditional values in his marriage to bear on how he raised his children. He was a good parent to them, always firm yet fair in his dealings. He would always listen carefully and think things through before he acted, even when it was an adverse situation. Tom was also a walking schedule, always seeming to know what everyone in the family needed to do, where they needed to be and when they needed to be there. Tom and Kathleen were blessed with five children, two daughters, Kathy and Susan, and three sons, Michael, Tom, and John. They were also blessed with sixteen grandchildren, Kathy's family, Brian, Megan, Michelle, and Mary. Michael's son's Nicholas, Christopher, and Benjamin. Susan's children, Garrett, Grant, Justin, and Maria. Tom's family, Madeline, Brendan, Samantha, Jacob and Nathan. Some of Tom's grandson's carry the middle name "Thomas" in his honor.

      Tom greatly enjoyed what he did for a living. He was a hard worker who expected the same in return from his co-workers. He was skilled at working effectively in small groups and in one-on-one situations as well as handling solo assignments efficiently. Tom enjoyed dealing with concrete ideas and could penetrate any amount of fuzzy information to reach the essential facts. Always able to attend to the task at hand, Tom was excellent at meeting deadlines. He was an efficient worker, one who paid careful attention to detail, allowing sufficient time to complete one task before moving on to the next. His primary occupation was sales executive. He was employed for 25 years by Loesch Associates and Company of Cleveland, Ohio. Tom worked hard to be a team player, doing what was necessary in order to get the job done.

      Tom was an Army veteran. He was stationed in Korea. Tom was enlisted during the Korean War. Through his hard work and dedication, he achieved the rank of Sergeant. A literal thinker who possessed a calm exterior, Tom seemed to enjoy the routines set forth by the military. His results-oriented approach to things made him committed to the job, and he understood well his role in serving his country.

      Tom liked to experience things first-hand as well as learn about them. This trait carried over into his hobbies, where he was very methodical in how he organized his activities and categorized things. Since he enjoyed his private time, Tom always tried to allocate a specific time for working on his hobbies. His favorite pursuits were reading, photography, and listening to music. He loved jazz and was especially fond of Frank Sinatra. Tom was content to enjoy his hobbies alone but was also willing to share his interests with others.

      Tom found pleasure in sports. Being a person who was comfortable making win/lose decisions throughout life, he could appreciate that athletes made those types of decisions in sports. He applauded those who won, and he enjoyed the statistical data and sports facts and could find himself wrapped up in those details. He would watch his favorite sporting events whenever he got the opportunity. Tops on his list were University of Kentucky basketball, Cincinnati Reds baseball, Notre Dame football, and the Cincinnati Bengals.

      As a man who always showed great commitment to the things he believed in, it's little wonder that Tom was the primary caretaker of so many of his family members. Tom took care of his mother, Alma, and her sister Marie Pleiman. He also took care of his father's sisters, Marie, Helen, and Katherine Holthaus. His great aunt Marie Hoffhaus also received his time and attention. His life of service to those he loved was admired in his family.

      Tom was a man who was dedicated and devoted to his faith. He was a member of Blessed Sacrament Church for 52 years. During that time, he was a Lector and Eucharistic Minister. Tom's stewardship also included 15 years of Christian Service and 15 years of working for the St. Vincent de Paul Society. He was a sympathetic man who valued his beliefs and was willing to work tirelessly for them.

      Tom enjoyed traveling and taking vacations. Since he was an early starter and had a knack for planning everything, traveling with Tom appeared effortless. He enjoyed researching all of his examined options and applying cost-effective planning techniques. Plus, no matter where he traveled, Tom always had a back up plan at the ready, just in case. Favorite vacations included trips to Florida and Gatlinburg.

      When Tom's retirement finally arrived in 1988 at the age of 62, he was well prepared. He always trusted and placed value in what was logical and in the things he knew, so he was very confident in planning his retirement. He had begun the process early and had his retirement all laid out well in advance. In retirement, he found new pleasure in playing cards with his childhood friends. Even in retirement, Tom continued to stay in touch with his old friends while making plenty of new acquaintances. He was active in his new community and felt fulfilled.

       He is survived by his wife Kathleen, his children and grandchildren. A Mass of Christian Burial was held October 16, 2006 at Blessed Sacrament Church. Father Robert Rosing officiated with the help of Father Paul Tenhundfeld.

Tom was laid to rest October 17, 2006 in the McClorey family plot in St. Mary's Cemetery, Fort Mitchell, Kentucky. He was honored with a twenty-one gun salute by the Northern Kentucky Honor Guard for his service.

      Commitment is a key word that can be used to describe the life of Thomas John Holthaus. 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 those around him. Most of all, he was committed to those he knew and loved.

An Irish Blessing

May the road rise to meet you

May the wind be always at your back

May the sun shine warm upon your face

The rains fall soft upon your fields

And until we meet again

May God hold you In the palm of His hand.