Thomas Francis Kolf

Thomas Francis Kolf, age 58, passed away Sunday, November 5th at Northwestern Memorial Hospital in Chicago. Thomas “Tom” was a beloved husband of Jennifer “Jenny” Tworek-Kolf; loving father of Matthew (Charlotte) Kolf, Brendhan Kolf, Bridget (Jayden Hague) Kolf, and Josephine “Josie” Kolf; youngest son of Marianne Kolf and the late Joseph P. Kolf Jr; dear brother of Mary Ann (Edward) Paradise; Michele “Micki” (Dennis Pontanella) Kolf; Barbara (James) Kenney; Joseph P. (Bunny) Kolf III; Elizabeth “Betsy” (Fred) Pambianchi; and Grace Kolf; in-laws Francis “Frank” and Nancy Tworek; brother in-law Thomas “Tom” Tworek; uncle, cousin, colleague, and friend to so many.

Tom grew up in Ridgefield, CT; attended Ridgefield High School; attended La Salle University and Western Connecticut State University where he graduated with a unique degree in IT and Business. Tom was always transforming in the workplace, but his degree took him to what he enjoyed most, Talent Acquisition. He recruited people for IT and Finance roles for Accenture, Forsythe, gpac and even his own company, Knowledge Management Brokers, LLC. Connecting people into careers they loved brought him joy. Tom loved connecting with people in general and could talk about anything: trivia, politics, gardening, cooking, but most of all music.

Tom’s love of music started at a young age in the Little Singers of Ridgefield boys’ choir of St. Mary’s parish. Tom traveled with the choir and his father in the mid-1970’s to Rome and London. He played the trumpet in high school. Enjoyed going to Broadway musicals. And with such a large family, he was around all eras of music. Tom’s playlist ranged from Barry Manilow to Twenty-One Pilots to Rent to Queen and everything in between. Tom and his children would introduce music to each other which has created lasting memories.

Tom was a baseball fan, played as a child and grew up in a house of Red Sox and Yankees fans. Tom liked the Mets until he attended several Yankees games. His wife, Jenny, took him to his first Red Sox game in the early 2000’s and he became a Sox fan. When Tom and his wife moved to Chicago, he became another Sox fan with the White Sox. Tom enjoyed going to games with family and friends and indulging in a hot dog or two.

Tom looked at the world with rose colored glasses, always finding the good in people, always looking at the future with hope, always loving people deeply. He will be missed dearly by friends and family.

A Memorial Gathering will be held Friday, December 1st at 10 AM, until the time of mass at 11 AM, at St. Paul the Apostle Catholic Church, 6401 Gages Lake Rd, Gurnee, IL 60031.