THOMAS L. ANDERSON

Thomas Leroy Anderson said aloha to this life on January 14, 2026, surrounded by his loving family. He was 91 years old.

Tom was welcomed home by his parents, Margaret (née Dennis) and Leroy Bert; brothers Richard, John and Don; beloved daughter, Gail; and many dear friends and family who went before him.

He is survived by his wife of 70 years, Anne (nee Phillips), the great love and joy of his life, and the family they built together: his devoted children Susan Cohen, Barbara Qua, Mark (Paula) and Malia (Steve Wells); 12 adoring grandchildren, Ashleigh, Ryan (Jennifer), Jessica (Kori), Paige (Eric), Bradford (Erin), Joey, Daniel (Jessica), Caleb, Makayla (Erdas), Grace, Olivia and Tommy; and seven treasured great-grandchildren, Kaia, Hadlee, Brady, Mason, Ella, Avery and Stevie. He is also survived by his sister Mary Beans and sister-in-law Julie Barkley, and by countless friends, colleagues and extended family members who were lucky enough to be part of his world.

Tom was born on August 9, 1934, in Maumee and grew up in the Cleveland area. He graduated from St. Edward High School in 1953 as part of its very first graduating class, a distinction he carried with pride for the rest of his life. Somewhere between school, work and a bit of good-natured teenage mischief, he met a beautiful young woman named Anne, who attended St. Augustine Academy (now Lakewood Catholic Academy) nearby. Though she caught the attention of more than one admirer – including a classmate of Tom’s, Phil Donahue, later of TV talk show fame – it was Tom who won her heart. They married on December 26, 1955, beginning a love story that would stretch across oceans, continents and seven remarkable decades.

In 2025, Tom and Anne celebrated their 70th wedding anniversary, still madly in love, still unmistakably devoted to each other, still happiest side by side.

Tom’s professional life was defined by momentum and movement – of people, of places, of possibility. He started his career in 1953 at Cleveland-Hopkins International Airport with Eastern Airlines, the first step in what would become a 60-year journey in the travel industry. In 1954, he briefly set that path aside to follow in the footsteps of his father, a veteran of World War II, to serve his country. He joined the Transportation Corps of the U.S. Army and was stationed for a brief time at the Port of Livorno, Italy, where Anne joined him, before returning to the states and fulfilling the remainder of his two-year Army service.

After returning home, Tom resumed his work in airline sales and marketing before becoming executive vice president of Reid Travel in Cleveland. In 1967, he and Anne made a bold decision that would shape the rest of their lives: They moved their young family to Hawaii, where Tom served as vice president of All Travel. What began as a professional opportunity quickly became something much deeper; Hawaii captured their hearts, and for the next 15 years, it was home.

Those years gave their kids a childhood marked by ocean breezes, Sunday beach picnics, afternoons at the Outrigger Canoe Club and a sense of togetherness that would stay with them forever. Hawaii wasn’t just where Tom worked – it was where the Anderson family learned how to live. Tom’s love for the islands was so contagious that he soon convinced members of his family and several close friends to follow him from Cleveland, including his brother, Don Anderson, and longtime friends such as the Zbin and Kolonick families. Together, they formed a tight-knit community they affectionately called the “Cleveland Mafia,” often gathering for one of their favorite traditions – long Sundays spent together at Bellows Beach.

In 1968, Tom opened his own company, Aloha Hawaii Travel, growing it into a highly successful operation. He later started Travel Arrangements, Inc., serving as president before returning to Aloha Hawaii Travel in 1982 and relocating back to the mainland Throughout his career, Tom was a respected leader in the industry, holding numerous leadership roles in the American Society of Travel Advisors and Skal International. In 1989, Tom began working for MLT Vacations and continued to do what he loved – connect people to places – for the next 25 years until retiring in 2014.

He then spent many happy years traveling simply for the joy of it, cooking expertly for those he loved, following his sports teams with unwavering loyalty and spending as much time as possible with his family – always with Anne at his side, where she remained until the Lord called her husband home.

Tom will be remembered for his deep devotion to his wife and family; his steady faith; his warm smile and easy generosity; his glowing pride for his children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren; his love of cooking; and his lifelong dedication to St. Ed’s football, Notre Dame football and Cleveland sports, especially his Indians.

Tom’s family likes to imagine that when Tom arrived at heaven’s gates, he was wearing a Notre Dame cap with a glass of wine in hand, greeting old friends and dear loved ones with the same captivating warmth he carried through life. Although he wasn’t Hawaiian by birth, Tom embraced the spirit of the islands fully and wholly – valuing family above all else, finding joy in simple moments, and believing that life is best lived with kindness, laughter and an open heart.

He will be deeply missed and forever remembered.

Aloha ‘oe. A hoi hau.

[Farewell, until we meet again.]

A Funeral Mass will be held at noon on Friday, January 30, at Saint Joseph Parish (32929 Lake Road in Avon Lake), with a reception to follow in the church’s event space where the family will receive guests. Private burial will take place in Hawaii.

Link to Livestream of Funeral Mass

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom’s honor to St. Edward High School   or St. Jude’s Children's Research Hospital