Thomas Player

1940 - 2026

If you ever sat with Tom Player, sooner or later, you would hear the words, "Oh, that reminds me of the time..." and before long the room would be laughing, leaning closer, and waiting to hear how it all ended.

Tom Player believed a good story should never be rushed.

Tom passed away willingly at the age of 85 on January 17, 2026, after choosing to discontinue dialysis. In his final days, he remained at home in hospice care, exactly where he wanted to be. Tom's wife Susan, his daughter Bailey and her husband John, Bailey's lifelong best friend Erica, and his cousin Carolyn were nearby.

Born on September 1, 1940 in Kansas City, Missouri, Tom jumped between Texas and Kansas City as life unfolded. In Kansas City, he attended St. Elizabeth's for grade school and Bishop Hogan High School, a reflection of his mother Thelma Tilling Player's insistence on a strong Catholic education. His family relocated to Houston, where he graduated from Bellaire High School with the class of 1957. He then enrolled at Texas A&M University, joining the Corps of Cadets, and lasted one year, which was a more-than-respectable showing for someone who wasn't yet seventeen. Life landed him back in Kansas City by 1963, when his beloved Kansas City Chiefs were founded. Tom's devotion to the Chiefs was fierce, and he was thrilled to share it with Bailey in the final years of his life thanks to Taylor Swift and Travis Kelce. Tom returned to finish what he'd started, graduating from the University of Houston in 1969; his Cougar pride later grew into an abiding bond with fellow alumni Bailey and his son-in-law John. As a Houstonian, he became a staunch Texans supporter, though he never forgot his dearly departed Oilers, and was able to revel in the joy of their runaway win against the Pittsburgh Steelers over and over again the week before his death. Everyone who knew him was relieved he did not have to suffer through their next game against the Patriots. Tom died in his Texans beanie, happily believing they might finally make it to the Super Bowl.

For those closest to Tom, the best evenings eventually made their way to the piano, and among his friends and family, there was a reliable rule: once Tom had enjoyed three margaritas, the keyboard was almost certainly getting played. Tom had an astounding ear for melody that never needed sheet music; give him a piano and he could play just about anything he'd ever heard. It was a love of music he shared with his oldest son Dean, a fellow musician who found his own way to the keys. Above all, Tom was always playing Billy Joel, ABBA, Celine Dion, and Elton John.

Tom took great pride in what he could do in the kitchen and at the smoker, especially when it came to chili and brisket. As head cook of his award-winning chili cookoff team, Urpin Cowboy, he guarded his "competition" recipe closely and believed a good pot of chili deserved as much care and legend as anything else. Lucky for him, Susan felt the same dedication should be given to putting on a show, leading her showmanship team, Texas Crude, to no shortage of trophies of their own. Fate intervened heading back from the cookoff in Terlingua, when the two teams ran into each other in Del Rio, and did what any compelling story demands: they merged, competing together as Texas Players, and Tom and Susan married in 1984. At the time, he was managing the bar at the Rotary Table, a Houston institution frequented by the city's oil industry crowd, where his "restaurant" chili recipe fed the regulars. Being Pitmaster was one of Tom's favorite roles, and when John joined the family, Tom gained an eager partner willing to spend hours upon hours and sometimes entire days tending the smoker alongside him. The two of them whiled away beside the pit as Tom liked best: talking endlessly, laughing, drinking more than a couple of beers, and savoring the promise of a home-cooked meal at the close of a hard day's work.

Tom believed in the power of duct tape and doing things yourself. His garage was the stuff of myth to his Maplewood neighbors, friends, and family, with a seemingly bottomless inventory of tools for every conceivable job. Tom never stopped learning how to do things better. It was a trait he came by honestly: both his father, Charles Player, and his father-in-law, Monroe Midyett, were experienced handymen who passed their knowledge down generously. When they could no longer provide guidance, YouTube did, and the results yielded everything from Oktoberfest booths for St. Thomas More to theater sets for St. Agnes and Strake Jesuit whenever Bailey needed a stage. This same curiosity, patience, and determination carried Tom through more than 30 years at Konecranes and its decades of ownership and name changes. He began as a salesman and quietly became something irreplaceable: the man who remembered it all. By the time he retired, deep into his seventies, that reputation had earned him the title of Historical Crane Specialist.

It was no accident that a man who believed in welcoming everyone found a kindred spirit in Disney Parks. He and Susan even purchased a Vacation Club membership as a gift to each other in retirement, drawn in by a place that understood inclusion, both emotionally and physically, as Tom's mobility declined. It is a gift Susan carries forward now. At EPCOT Tom could still engage with people and cultures throughout the globe, as well as the cocktails and cuisine that came with them. He never missed Soarin' Around the World, a ride designed for someone just like him, grounded in the work of the Imagineers, a traveler's tale, the feeling of flight, and a seat next to the people who matter. From his first visit, Tom recognized that Disney understands how to create a safe space for the thing he loved most: connecting.

Tom was preceded in death by his son, Gary Player; his sister Linda Miller; his brother, Joe Player; and his four-legged companions, Trivia, Patches, and Monroe. He left behind a family who will be trading memories of him for generations, including his wife, Susan Midyett, and their dog Bandit; their daughter, Bailey Player, her husband John Price, and their boys, Tom's granddogs, McNay and Antonio; his former wife, Betty Jo Pryor; their children, Jeffrey Dean Player and his wife Lori; John Andrew Player; and Sharon Malinowski and her husband Brent; his grandson, Jarek Malinowski, his wife Samantha, and their daughter, Tom's great-granddaughter, Mabel, whom Tom was able to meet and hold during his last days at home; his sister Nancy Robison Dostal; the family of his late cousin Monty Goddard, including Carolyn Goddard and her daughters whom Tom considered nieces; and numerous nieces, nephews, great-nieces and great-nephews. He was also preceded in death by, and survived by, countless members of the found family he built along his journey, the relationships he may have valued most and the ones he trusted to keep gathering.

Those who cherish Tom and his family are invited to gather once more in his honor for exactly the kind of evening he spent a lifetime creating for everyone around him. A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, April 25, 2026 at 6 p.m. at Elks Lodge #151, 10150 West Airport, Stafford, Texas.

If Tom taught us anything, it's that the best nights start with good friends, great food, and lots of margaritas, then end with a wild story, a room full of laughter, and a little fun on the piano.