Thomas Matthew Hennessey
1931 ~ 2016
Tom was born at his grandmother's home in Loveland, Colorado, on February 20, 1931 to Gladys Maye Matthews Hennessey and Thomas Hennessey. He died in Boise on August 21, 2016 at his home of forty-three years, surrounded by his devoted family, after a long struggle to recover from the complications of a fall.
The Hennessey family left Colorado and the devastation of the Dust Bowl in 1935, heading for Washington. A stop in Boise, however, and a drive through the beauty of the Emmett cherry orchards, convinced them that Idaho would be a better alternative.
Tom was the oldest of four boys, spread over sixteen years, and he was devoted to his younger brothers. His dad was a cattle trader, and young Tom grew up around the sale yards, absorbing the cattlemen's culture, riding horseback, picking huckleberries in the Idaho mountains, and learning to be ornery at times. His youth was spent in Nampa except for the World War II years, when his dad worked in the defense industry in California. Tom thrived during his years at Nampa High School, where he boxed, edited the yearbook, sang in glee club, and graduated in 1949. It was at Nampa High that he developed a love of words that would eventually make him a crossword puzzle king.
In the fall of 1949 Tom joined several friends who enrolled at the College of Idaho, where he became freshman class president. He subsequently transferred to the University of Idaho, where he was a member of Delta Tau Delta and became a committed Vandal. Monthly lunches with the Delts were a regular feature of life for Tom throughout his retirement years, and his Vandal1 license plate underscored his loyalty to the University.
As a young man, Tom--a skilled horseman and with a gift for playing the guitar and singing around the campfire--enjoyed several seasons on dude ranches in Cody, Wyoming, and Mesa, Arizona, totally charming the guests. His years in Moscow were interrupted by service in the U.S. Army during the Korean War. Military service gave him the opportunity to travel in Asia and on the East Coast before his discharge. This experience broadened his horizons, as he roamed Manhattan, experiencing theater, opera, and the lights of the Big City. He was able to chat comfortably with anyone, from any background, at any time.
After graduating from the University of Idaho in 1958 as the outstanding business student in his class, Tom joined the rapidly growing Boise Cascade Corporation as a salesman in the Corrugated Container Division. It was at Boise Cascade that he met his future wife, Alice Pingree, an enthusiastic transplant to the West from Massachusetts. They were married in Alice's hometown of Georgetown on June 13, 1959. In 1962, Tom's passion for the cattle business took him back to the life that he loved. He spent the rest of his career as a self-employed cattle trader. He believed in always treating people fairly and giving a break to those who needed a hand up.
For Tom, life was all about family. He cherished his three brothers, and the family he and Alice raised. Their three children—Shannon, Sheila, and Tom—all arrived in less than three years, and consequently were very close growing up. When all three were married, they and their spouses produced eight grandchildren in four years, apparently wanting the cousins to grow up with the same tight ties they had enjoyed as children. Whether it was sponsoring a softball team, attending piano and dance recitals, or following son Tom N. through his career in the Big Sky as a Vandal football player, Tom made being there a priority. Taking groups of grandchildren on cruises to Alaska or through the St. Lawrence Seaway were family highlights, as were vacations on Kauai and in Sun Valley.
One of Tom's special gifts was his ability to care for others—the very young and the very old. He was the primary caregiver for his mother for the eleven months she was bedridden in the Hennessey household at the end of her life. He was a marvel with babies and small children. He was up and out of the house on many early mornings to get his first granddaughter to day care. When his first grandson was born, Tom spent five weeks living with the family in a one-bedroom apartment in California, taking care of the baby until he could go to day care. He followed up with a similar stint fourteen months later when the second baby arrived. Trips to Pasco, Washington, and Maryland followed so that he could be there for birthdays, performances, and games. Over the years, Tom spent countless hours teaching, playing with, and caring for grandchildren. Whatever the family needed, he was there.
Tom had a keen interest in philanthropy. He served on the boards of the Bishop Kelly Foundation, the Boise Art Museum, the Children's Home, and Humphreys Diabetes Center. Tom was a talented and charismatic amateur auctioneer, and for decades he contributed his talents to fundraising events for organizations large and small. If Boise High, Bishop Kelly, the Vandals, the Humane Society, or the Shakespeare Festival called, he was there. If the Cub Scouts or any other organization called, he was there. Over the years, Tom's auctioneering skills helped thousands of donors good-naturedly spend more than they had planned as millions of dollars were raised for Idaho nonprofits. His efforts were recognized with numerous awards of appreciation.
Tom was preceded in death by his beloved Grandma Matthews, his parents, and his brothers Tip and Dave. He and baby brother Don were the "bookends" of the family, and their bond only increased after Tip and Dave were gone.
He is survived by his wife, Alice; children, Shannon Erstad (Andy), Sheila Hennessey (Ern Blackwelder), and Tom N. Hennessey (Shana); grandchildren, Ryan, Patrick and John Erstad; Ellie (Kerry Goebel), Claire, and Holly Blackwelder; Tom B. (Haley), and Jake Hennessey; and his brother, Don Hennessey as well as many nieces, nephews, cousins, and in-laws. Tom was a generous host, and many relatives were welcomed to live at the Hennesseys' over the years, notably brother-in-law Bob Pingree and nephew Nate Hennessey, who each lived with Tom and Alice for an extended period. Tom was indeed the family patriarch.
Tom wanted to express deep gratitude to the compassionate caregivers in the Trauma Center at St Alphonsus, and to the entire amazing team at St. Luke's—the ER, the staff of 5 and 7 East Downtown, St. Luke's Rehab, Home Care and Hospice. The understanding of Dr. Bill Bollinger and Dr. Joshua Barton was exemplary and is deeply appreciated by Tom's family.
Tom often said that he had been blessed with a very good life. A celebration of that life will be held at 10 a.m. on Monday, September 5, at the Idaho Shakespeare Festival amphitheater. Those wishing to remember Tom with memorials may send them to the Tom and Alice Hennessey Fund at the Idaho Community Foundation, 210 West State St., Boise, ID 83702; St. Luke's Health Foundation, 420 West Idaho St., Boise, ID 83702; or the Hennessey Family Centennial Endowment, c/o University of Idaho Foundation, 875 Perimeter Dr. MS 3143, Moscow, ID 83844-3143.
Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Tom's memorial webpage at www.summersfuneral.com.