Tommy J Roof Obituary (1941 - 2014)

Tommy J. Roof, 72 of Lincoln, passed away in his home on Wednesday May 21, 2014, surrounded by his loving family. He died peacefully after a long and courageous battle with COPD. Tommy was born on December 7th, 1941 at St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Lincoln, Nebraska. He was the eldest of two children born to Tommy M. Roof and Lerene "Jackie" (Jackson) Roof. Tommy was born during the bombing of Pearl Harbor, and the events were broadcast via radio throughout the hospital that day. Tommy attended school at Whittier and Lincoln High. He entered the Marine Corps at the age of 17 and quickly worked his way through the ranks to Special Forces Recon. After serving four years in the Marines, Tommy returned home to Lincoln and soon after he married Teresa Kay Jones of Bladen, NE. Tommy worked several jobs and landed with the railroad in a section gang, working one of the most difficult jobs of laying and repairing rail track. His strong work ethic and integrity provided the opportunity for promotion, and Tommy studied and was promoted to engineer. Soon after, the family moved to Malcolm. Once his children were involved in their own activities, Tommy felt he was sacrificing valuable time with his family due to the long hours and time away from home working as an engineer. He decided to leave the railroad and started working with troubled youth and compromised adults as well as maintaining his home service business which he continued for over 25 years. He retired in 2006. During his youth, Tommy enjoyed baseball, gymnastics, football, tennis, and he was a two-time Golden Glove Champion and went by the name of Tommy the Tiger. Tommy started playing ping pong in grade school and played competitively in Japan while serving in the Marines. He also boxed for the Marine Corps and was undefeated throughout his military career. Once he became a father, Tommy's activities changed to include his children. He was involved with cub scouts, a volunteer fireman, and he helped coach many of his children's athletic events. His children tell fond memories of fishing, waking after a rainstorm at any hour to collect night crawlers, and then either sell or use the night crawlers for spirited family fishing trips. His relationships traversed to his children's friends, and he was always counted as a confidant and someone to call in time of need. Tommy danced in the Nutcracker with the Lincoln Midwest Ballet for three years, both in the roles of the King and dancing the waltz as a party parent. Tommy would work many long hours of overtime in order to accommodate traveling to all of the sports activities for his children. Over one year, the family logged over 45,000 travel miles. Tommy loved to travel. Colorado or any ocean held a special place in his heart. The family had many trips to Colorado for dirt biking in the Poudre Canyon, staying in rustic cabins in Estes Park, and colorful adventures on Trail Ridge Road. Tommy welcomed any chance to visit the ocean, always saying he needed to check if it was 'still there.' He was preceded in death by his parents, Tommy Melvin Roof, Lerene 'Jackie' Roof, and his sister Gloria May. Tommy is survived by his wife, Teresa, and his four children and their families. Kelie Hargens and her husband Robert of Malcolm and their six children Samantha, Shianne, Savannah, Cole, Shayla, and Remington; Chad Roof and his wife Vanessa of Lincoln, and their three children Benjamin, Morgan, and Andrew; Jennifer Malone and her husband Kyle of Lincoln, and their two children Kalob and Karson; Katie Groeling and her husband Pat of Eagle, and their daughter Norah Estes.