Tom Corcoran

Thomas Franklin Corcoran, 79, died January 16, 2023, in Lakeland, Florida, with his sister Carolyn and his dear friend Dinah by his side. Tom was many things to many people, but above all, he was a beloved member of his family. Born July 13, 1943, to Ralph A. and Mary Louise (Franklin) Corcoran in Cleveland, Ohio, Tom grew up in Cleveland Heights and Shaker Heights with his two younger sisters. He graduated from Miami University of Ohio, and served in the U.S. Navy, first shipping out in 1967. Stationed in Key West for a time, he found his spirit's home, and also met two of his dearest lifelong friends, David Fox and John Lockwood. Tom ultimately lived there or nearby for the rest of his life, visiting often in person and even more often in his storytelling and writing. His time in Key West, which began in 1968, was, like Tom himself, both understated and profound. He had a way of finding himself in the middle of great stories without knowing precisely how he got there. He also had a way of remembering every detail perhaps due to his unique talent for being truly present, which made everyone he encountered feel like the center of the universe, at least for that moment. It was in Key West where, serving tacos off the back of his bicycle late at night, he met and developed lifelong friendships with a group of writers and musicians who would become giants in their fields. His photographs and stories of those early days have entertained his family for years, and we suspect many of those friends still harbor stories about Tom that we have not yet heard. It was also there he married his wife, Judith Matheny Corcoran, and started a family. He is most recently known for his Alex Rutledge mystery series, set in and around Key West, but his talents were many. He was a gifted photographer, a songwriter, a car aficionado, an editor, publisher, author, a collector and lover of books. He was our father, our uncle, our brother, and our friend. Our grief in losing him is immeasurable. He was predeceased by his wife, Judith Matheny Corcoran, in 1986. He leaves a son Sebastian, of Lakeland; a son Scott Warren and Scott's daughters Ellie and Zoe, Tom's granddaughters, of Lake Forest, Illinois; two sisters, Carolyn Inglis of Scarborough, Maine, and Martha Corcoran of Bradenton, Florida; a brother-in-law, James Inglis, also of Scarborough; a niece, Katherine Stratton, also of Scarborough; a nephew, Jeff Inglis, of Dedham, Massachusetts; and other relatives and many friends, including his very special friends Dinah George of Lakeland, Florida; David Fox of Old Greenwich, Connecticut; John Lockwood of Sarasota, Florida; and Ammie Machan, Brian Bradley, and Cheryl Rollings, all of Key West, Florida. Services will be private. Please honor Tom's memory by being fully present in the adventures of your own lives, and by supporting your nearest locally owned bookstore, ideally purchasing books by local authors. Tom also supported and spoke at libraries across the state, most importantly the Key West Library, as well as the Key West Art and Historical Society.