Thomas Morrison Chase

Chase, Thomas Morrison Surrounded by his wife Diane and family in the comfort of his home Tom went to be with his Lord and Savior on June 29, 2015. Tom was full of life, love and laughter and had a way of making others feel so special. He was humble, kind and always looked for the good in others and his generosity was legendary. Tom was born on March 24, 1941 in Cape Girardeau, MO. He lived in Lincoln, NE then moved to Indianapolis at the age of ten. He attended Indiana University where he was president of the Student Athletic Board, a cheerleader, a member of Delta Tau Delta fraternity and was voted one of the top ten seniors at IU. He received an MBA from Loyola of Chicago after beginning his working career. Tom married Susan Gardner and moved to Chicago, IL where he had his first two children Todd and Dana. After divorcing in 1975 he met the love of his life Diane while they were both working at Baker McKenzie - Tom as the Executive Administrator and Diane as a legal secretary. They married in August of 1977 and moved to Woodinville, WA in 1978. Michael was born to Tom and Diane in 1979 and soon after Tom became Executive Director for Foster, Pepper & Riviera. In 1982 Nikki was born and five years later they moved to Folsom, CA where Tom took the role of Executive Director at Downey Brand LLP. In 1997, Tom took his experience in working with attorneys and the relationships he had built to start his own recruiting firm, Chase Legal Professionals. Tom took great joy in starting his own company and it soon became the premier legal placement firm in Sacramento. Tom was extremely active in the community serving as committee chair for the Sacramento Rotary Club and heading their dinner and Community Center theatre nights. He loved the theatre and in addition to watching Michael and Nikki perform in many local plays he was an accomplished actor himself appearing in such productions as Fiddler on the Roof, Oliver and On Golden Pond. Tom was also an adjunct professor at McGeorge Law School for fifteen years, teaching a management course that became the most popular elective at the school. Tom loved his church, Valley Springs Presbyterian and served as president of the board of trustees. We must also mention that Tom was a sports fanatic and loved most all sports, especially football. He loved watching games with his friends and family and dominated most every fantasy football league and pool in which he participated. He also enjoyed watching his grandchildren participate in all their sports and activities. Tom is survived by his loving wife of nearly 38 years Diane, his four children Todd Chase (Becca), Dana Santini (Mike), Michael Chase (Tonya) and Nikki Blakesley (Paul) as well as ten grandchildren - Brandon, Kylie, Adam, Lilly, Mallory (Todd), Chase, J.C., Jaden (Dana), David, Michael (Michael) (and one on the way-Nikki) that he was extremely proud of. He is also survived by his two older brothers Dick (Yoko) and Gary (Claire) as well as many nieces and nephews who loved their Uncle Tom. Diane and the family would like to thank all the friends who have visited and provided support and comfort these last several months. Special thanks to Dr. Lara and Laura Brennan at UC Davis Cancer Center for their great care these last four years. Also thanks to Vitas Hospice Care and Comfort Keepers for their compassionate care during Tom's final days. When thinking of Tom, please remember his love of Jesus, life and people and his ever present laugh. We know he has made heaven a brighter, happier place. A Celebration of Life will be held at Valley Springs Presbyterian Church located at 2401 Olympus Drive in Roseville at 11:00 am on Monday, July 6th with a luncheon reception to follow. In lieu of flowers a donation can be made in Tom's memory to the UC Davis Comprehensive Cancer Center Prostate Cancer Research, 4900 Broadway, Suite 1150, Sacramento, CA 95820. As a tribute to Tom a website has been created in his memory www.never-gone.com/Memorials/tomchase