Thomas R. Sears

FL - Thomas R. Sears, 65 of West Palm Beach, Florida, formerly of Racine, Wisconsin, died Monday, November 18, 2013 in West Palm Beach after a brief illness. Tom was born on June 9, 1948 in Milwaukee, WI. Upon graduation from the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh in 1970, Tom embarked on a distinguished career as a journalist. With the exception of brief stints at the DeKalb, IL Daily Chronicle and the Chicago Sun-Times, Tom spent his career at the Palm Beach Post beginning in 1973. He served the Post in several capacities during his career but spent the majority of his time as copy desk chief of the Sports department. An “old school” newspaperman, Tom was a fastidious editor who held he and others to the highest standards of quality journalism. Tom was a true lover of sports and had an incredible memory for statistics and minute details of games. He was a fervent fan of the Wisconsin Badgers, Green Bay Packers, and Milwaukee Brewers. His yearly summer trips to Wisconsin to visit family were always built around the Brewers longest home stand of the season. For over 30 years he served as the commissioner of a fantasy baseball league where the members of the league would draw numbers from Tom’s blue plastic Brewers batting helmet to determine the draft order. The helmet will be donated to the league to keep Tom’s spirit alive in future seasons. Tom is survived by his sister, Carol Perce of Muskego, WI; brothers David Sears of Milwaukee, WI and William (Laurie) Sears of Traverse City, MI; nephews Charles Perce of Sheboygan, WI and Jeffrey Perce of Racine, WI; nieces Sandra (Nicholas) Zeleski of Waterford, WI, Kelsey (Jay) Walton of St. Louis, MO and Natalie Sears of Traverse City, MI; great nieces Kathrine, Laura, and Kelli Zeleski, all of Waterford, WI. A memorial service in celebration of Tom’s life will be held in Florida at a future date. Memorial donations may be directed to the Hanley Center Foundation, 933 45th St, West Palm Beach, FL 33407. All County Funeral Home and Crematory of Lake Worth, FL are serving the family and, per Tom’s wishes, cremation has taken place. Please visit Tom’s online guestbook at www. allcounty.com to share your memories.