Tom Houlihan Obituary

Houlihan, Tom

Tom Houlihan's love of newspapers began in his early days when he would pour over the Chicago Daily News, one of two afternoon papers and one that was known for taking the side of the little guy in a large community that sometimes seemed oblivious to his needs or existence. He remained a loyal reader of the Daily News up until its demise in 1978. The Daily News was known for fine writing, crisp editing and taking stands on civil rights and other hot-button issues of the day. By the age of 10, he knew that he wanted to work for a newspaper, to be a reporter and help give the little guy a voice. He would realize at least some of that dream. A journalism major at the University of Illinois in Champaign-Urbana, his first job out of college was for Crescent Newspapers, a string of local papers that covered the southwest suburbs of Chicago. As a novice reporter and editor, he supervised a very small newsroom and learned a great deal, including how to take and develop photos. After two years, he felt like he'd gotten a good start and he accepted a friend's invitation to travel in Europe for a few months. When Tom returned, he made a brief foray into special education, pursuing the field for three years while earning a master's degree at what was then the University of Illinois' Circle Campus in Chicago. But journalism pulled him back, and he and a friend started the Lockport Free Press in 1976. Although the paper was published for only three years, it was there that he met the woman who would change his life. He wed Kathleen Raymond, the "girl in the office," in 1979. He began teaching journalism at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., and then became a full- time reporter at the Times of Northwest Indiana in 1982. Over the next six years at the daily paper, he wrote thousands of stories and covered some of the paper's most high-profile beats. His efforts to bring in a union ended his tenure at the Times. Two weeks later, he was hired at Star Newspapers as an associate editor. A year later, he got an idea for a column. The editor-in- chief ran the piece on the op-ed page. After he submitted two more pieces, he became the Star's weekly columnist, writing hundreds of pieces about life in the south suburbs. His column ran for the next 20 years. He ultimately became the editorial page editor, a position he was holding when the twice-weekly Star was combined with another local paper. But the publisher eliminated the Star in 2008, bringing an end to the 120-year-old newspaper. Tom joined Governors State University two months later as a communications writer, retiring in 2013. But he returned to journalism again in 2014 to help launch the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle, once again writing a column and sharing his expertise with young journalists. He retired from the Chronicle in 2020. His marriage to Kat Houlihan brought three sons, John, Joseph and Emmett. At their home in Chicago Heights, the Houlihans had nightly dinners (most of which Tom cooked). They went on countless hikes and camping trips and made numerous trips downtown to explore Chicago. Tom and Kat supported the boys' musical talents and creative efforts and read to them nightly for years. All three of the boys are now avid hikers and campers. After Kat died unexpectedly of natural causes in 2000, Tom raised his sons on his own. He married Patricia Briske, a former Star reporter, in 2003 and the family moved to Flossmoor, where they flourished in the vibrant, diverse community. He was a great father and made a point of telling his sons every day that he loved them. Emmett Houlihan said, "One way my dad showed his love was by feeding those he cared about. He fed his family dinner every day even when some of us didn't eat meat (my brothers) and some of us only ate mashed potatoes (me). "At the phase of my life when my diet consisted almost entirely of grilled cheese and Oke Doke popcorn, he made me a grilled cheese sandwich to take to school every single day. I don't think many people can make that same claim. "After I left home for college, and to my dad's delight, I started eating and cooking all sorts of new foods on my own. It was always fun to tell him what I was eating and share recipes. It was very special when I had the chance to cook for him and show him that I loved him back in that same way." Joseph Houlihan said, "Dad read to us every night when we were growing up, from 'Frog and Toad' to 'Swallows and Amazons.' We sat on his big bed, and he voiced the different characters with an actor's flair. I remember he read us 'To Kill a Mockingbird.' And later, he made John a 'Scout as Giant Ham' costume for school. As we connected as adults, I would always ask, 'What are you reading?' And he told me about the new translation of Dostoevsky's 'Demons' Or our familiar connection with 'The Brother's Karamazov.' We laughed about Tolstoy's Platon Karataev, and Princess Mary's soulful eyes. Through the years, these conversations kept me reaching for his next recommendation. These books enriched my life and my work as a children's librarian. It's not often that someone comes along who is a true friend and a great reader. Dad was both." John Houlihan recalled, "There is a moment in every child'ss life when they become aware of their own mortality. For me this came when I was probably around eight. Our family would always walk together, around the neighborhood, in the woods. To be walking and talking, or telling stories, was one of our chief forms of interaction. "One night after dinner, we meandered through a nearby subdivision pond. As we stared at the dark water, I understood that someday I would die and was terrified and sad. "When we returned home, Dad saw that something was wrong. I wanted to know, what is the point of life if we are going to die at the end? He didn't skip a beat, 'To love and be loved, that is all we can do.' With that, he hugged me, and the pain went away. "He lived that way his whole life, loved his children and his wives as hard as he could. A fierce friend who would always do the right thing over the easy thing. He would cook for people; it was one of the ways that he would show people he loved them. If he loved you and you were sick or mourning, then you would see him on your doorstep with a Ball jar of soup. "Our holiday dinners often had just as many friends as family, but there really wasn't a difference between the two. If you were his friend, you were his family and he loved you like a brother. "I am a father myself now, and my youngest, Oscar, had a moment where he was thinking about death about a month ago. He was crying and screaming about this terrible thing. I heard my father speaking through me, 'To love and be loved, that is all we can do."; Patty Houlihan said he was a wonderful husband. "He was the world's most appreciative man. Every day was like Valentine's Day with Tom" Days before his death, Tom completed a project he had been working on for some time, a story tracing his family roots in Ireland and subsequently in Chicago. The chapters for the book bounce back and forth from what he had learned in a visit to Ireland that he and Patty made in 2023, and what he was able to research on the development of the family's subsequent time in

America. Thomas Arthur Houlihan was born May 10, 1949, to Arthur Houlihan and Mildred Uminger. He grew up in Morgan Park, a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. He earned a bachelor of science in communications from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1971 and a master of education from the University of Illinois at Chicago in 1977. Tom died on November 23, 2025, of natural causes, at his home in Flossmoor. He was preceded in death by his parents as well as his sister, Carol Flynn, and his wife Kat Houlihan. He was the devoted husband of Patty Houlihan and loving father of John (Sarah), Joseph and Emmett, and the dear grandfather of Malcolm, Dahlia and Oscar. A memorial celebration is being planned for spring 2026.

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