In 1985 - within a month of each other – we both married fine south Omaha girls, whose mothers – Rita Chips and Jeanette Bidrowski – had known each other since childhood and were good friends.

Go with God Tom.  Thanks for being great friend.

Lee

At the staggering wage of $1.65/hour (eighty cents from the wait staff, .85 cents from Pal Gorat) we enjoyed our free burger meal and occasional cherry seven-up as we dealt with the Arksarben Races crowds every evening.  Tom’s brother Pete recruited my older brother Scott to help park cars and together they cleaned up on tips.  Tom was eventually promoted to dishwasher and rubbed his 10 cent raise in my face.  Both of us, however, knew the big bucks were in parking cars.  That, and you didn’t smell like a kitchen after work.
-The summer of our sophomore year, Tom invited me to lie about my age on a job application and join him on the mid shift at Adler Bakery, the folks that made all of HinkyDinky’s baked goods.  It was just a few blocks west of Gorat’s on Center Street and offered a whopping $2.25 an hour with a 10 cent bonus for any time after midnight.  This was serious money.  Tom’s brother Pete was also there, as was Tom Urzendowski, Bob Bidrowsky, Jim Nosal, Art Wegworth, and South High standout (and eventual walk-on at Nebraska) Sam Willcoxen.  Working from 4:00 PM to 12:30 PM, we were spun up and full of mischief by the time we got out of work.   Some of us got our driver’s license that summer and our midnight rovings soon took in parts of Omaha we’d never seen – including the fabled Albino Farm located in the far land of west Omaha.
The summer came to an end and most of us had to quit work and go back to school for our Junior years.  But the money had been so good and hours so accommodating a lot of us were back the following summer – all now age legal and most driving.  I showed up to work in my hot 1960 VW Karman Ghia.  It couldn’t compare however, to Tom’s fire breathing ’67 Mustang.
High school concluded and Tom and I went our separate ways.  We saw each other again at friend Bill Hargens’ wedding to Patti, and then once at a convention at the Omaha Civic Auditorium, where Tom had me convinced to put a sunroof in my AMC Gremlin.
(cont)

After arriving at that amazing store, we’d visit a while with the owner Tom Rudloff, then lose ourselves in his many bins of used comic books – eagerly searching for those few missing issues we needed to round out our respective Spiderman and Fantastic Four collections.  On the walk back, we’d cut through alleys and backlots checking for interesting junk, playing enemy ambush, and discussing if the Thing could take the Hulk in a fair fight.
We also tried our hands at movie making.  Using my dad’s regular 8-millimeter movie camera, we cranked out many hits with the help of classmates Bill Hargens, Mike Flick, Bob Kotan, Nick Schinker, Terry Jensen, and others.  This included ‘A Stitch in Time Kills Nine’ which featured epic action sequences shot on location at the Center Shopping center at 42nd and Center.  The climax showed Tom getting mowed down by a Mattel M-16 with a gory close-up of him afterward – covered in half a bottle of his mom’s ketchup.  
We tried cartoons as well.  With Tom’s amazing drawing skills, it started out well.  Then the Photo-mat lost our single reel and the owner wanted his camera back.  We were devastated, having put in over 20 hours of work doing backgrounds, moving characters, and making exposures – one frame at a time.  It would be 10 years before Steven Spielberg would pick up our dropped torch.    
-As freshman at Ryan High School, Tom called me one night and asked if I’d like a job bussing tables at the legendary Gorat’s Steak House, favorite hang out of Warren Buffet.  I was tired of delivering papers and this seemed like a solid step up.  Tom had gotten the bussing position through Pat Brennan, a friend of Tom’s brother Pete, who worked at Gorat’s parking cars.  Pete suggested Tom to Pat, and Pat hired Tom, who then recruited me, and others in our Holy Cross class, including Dick (Link) Fleissner, Artie Wegworth and John Teeple.   (cont)

To Tom’s wife, family, and friends, please accept my deepest condolences for your loss.
Tom and I attended Holy Cross K-8 Grade School at 48th and Woolworth in Omaha, Nebraska from 1963 to 1971.  We were in many classrooms together in our 9 years and were best friends for most of them.
Tom’s superpower was his artistic skill.  He could draw anything and draw it well.   He did amazing work, doing comic strips in grade school, caricatures of classmates (not always flattering) and the occasional superhero.  We were in cub scouts together, and our moms would routinely host Troop 76’s scout meetings.  Although we had a similar number of merit badges, Tom claimed bragging rights when he acquired the Art merit badge.
-In third grade Tom told me he was a vampire and proved it by showing me his tongue.  He said he routinely chewed it to get a little blood to calm his urges.  I believed him and defended his honor when my older brother Scott opined it was likely not true.  When Tom eventually disappointed me with the fact that he was merely human, I was so mad, I refused to walk home with him from school for almost a month.
-Tom and I played basketball together on the Holy Cross seventh and eighth grade teams.  A scruffy lot of 12 and 13 year olds, we ran up and down the gym with our teammates; practicing, conditioning, and listening to our coaches – in seventh grade Mike Leahy and Tom Dworak, and in eighth grade Dave Castro – berate us for the sorry excuses of basketball players we were.  Their language, especially Mike’s, was particularly salty.  By the end of seventh grade Tom and I could cuss better than most sailors.   
-Also in eighth grade, usually on Saturday mornings, Tom and I would venture down to the Antiquarian Book store at 1210 Farnham in what is today the Old Market, but at the time was a fairly seedy, though (we thought) safe, part of town.  It took us about an hour and half to walk the over four miles and we talked, planned and schemed the whole time.  (cont)

With our sincere condolences to Sue and family. Tom was exceptional. His love for family was an example for many of us. He always enjoyed sharing with those that he knew.
We first met Tom as our supplier for industrial chemicals. He quickly gained our trust and made everyone in our plant feel appreciated. One of Tom’s many talents. When we had the opportunity to hire a production manager Tom was our first choice. He was already trusted and respected by all. He was an incredible manager and always handled stressful situations in stride. He never let it affect those that he worked with. When Tom moved into sales he again gained trust and respect from his customers quickly. Tom made significant contributions to Wikoff’s success. One of my favorite memories is a picture he had on his desk, he always had family photos on his desk. It was a family trip and everyone was on a zip line platform with helmets on getting ready to take off. Certain it was incredible. All our love and respect from the Wikoff friends.

Tom was a good friend to the family for many years. Whether it was dinner at LaCasa or bowling. Some of my favorite times was being apart of his bowling team with Spike and Pete.  Tom was all about having fun at the alley and we would often poke fun at the “serious” bowlers on a nightly basis. He will be dearly missed.

I am so glad I had opportunity of working with & knowing Tom for nearly 28 years. So many good times & laughs at work as well having a blast in softball & bowling leagues together for many years. 
   Loved hearing his crazy stories of all of his ghost tour adventures  & thoroughly enjoyed his recent Halloween parties & impressive homemade Halloween decorations. That man freaking loved everything closely related to anything eerie or spooky. 
   Tom retired from Wikoff about 6 years ago but he always made it a point to stop by & visit the guys & catch up on all the new drama going on & also continue to chat about Husker football. 
   Tom loved his family very much & traveled more than anyone I know! He was taken too soon & will be missed by many.
   My most sincere condolences to Sue, Spike, Sam &  family. I’m so sorry for your loss. Love you guys.

Remember Tom very well as a fellow employee who worked  with me at HinkyDinky Bakery  along with his brother Pete.Spent a lot of fun times at Ninos bar where he met Sue and then at Fifth Quarter- great times.Wishing my condolences and prayers to all his family.

Sending our most sincere sympathies at the sudden loss of Tom.  We will keep you all in our prayers as you celebrate his life. I especially enjoyed hearing from Tom and his interest in the family history. He was thoughtful to send me old family pictures and some clippings he had come across. 
We fondly remember rotating the holidays between Grandma Roddy’s for Christmas, the Hengs in Omaha for Easter  and our house at the farm for Thanksgiving. May all your special family memories help you through this time

Tom on his last day of work, still plugging away, helping the Wikoff team to the end . 
30 years of service he will be missed. 
Tom with his quest to be spooked and too spook, always with a story of his haunted  trips.
Sports was another love, always competitive, from softball to checkers.



Vince Murray Wikoff Color

I remember Tom at our family gatherings. He was always fun to be around and I can see that he would be remembered as a "great storyteller." I will be remembering him and all of his family in prayer during this challenging time.

OBITUARY

Tom Heng

December 10, 1956 – October 16, 2025

Kahler-Dolce Mortuary

Show your support

Add a Memory

Share Obituary

Get Reminders

Services