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Thomas Tomlin, age 71, of Valparaiso IN, passed away at home on January 28, 2026. He is survived by his sons Derek (Rebecca) and Alex Tomlin; granddaughter, Emily Grace; close cousin, Carol Tomlin; best friend Don Peltonen; as well as other family and many friends. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Victoria Tomlin.
Tom spent his life in Northwest Indiana attending Merrillville High School and going on to further his education of music at Music Conservancy of Illinois, Purdue University and Valparaiso, University where he received a BS in Nursing. He held a position as a firefighter and Paramedic, after graduation he worked as a registered ER Nurse as well as a flight Nurse at University of Chicago. After retiring, he worked as a carpenter for Design Construction in Valparaiso, IN. Tom was a very active member at Saint Bridget’s Catholic church and member of the Croation Lodge #170 in Merrillville.
Visitation Service will be held Thursday, February 5th, 4 – 8 PM at Calumet Park Funeral Home (7535 Taft St., Merrillville, IN). Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 AM on February 6th, DIRECLTY at Saint Bridget’s Catholic Church, 107 Main St. Hobart, IN, with burial following at Calumet Park Cemetery.
Tom was a man of kindness and generosity and he left a lasting impact on everyone who knew him. You will be missed immensely and the memories we will cherish forever.
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My husband and I got very lucky when we moved to our neighborhood. We have great neighbors, and Tom was one of them. We will greatly miss his friendship. May his memory be a blessing to all that knew and loved him.
This is heartbreaking to hear. I grew up down the road from Tom and Pam. They were mine and my brother’s babysitters. Tom still called me ‘Kitchen’ because when Derek was little he couldn’t say my name, and it stuck. I learned so much from Tom through the years. He got me my first bunny, Ebenezer. He selflessly made a beautiful coffin for my puppy that got hit by a car. Every time I see the Simpsons, I still think of Tom. We would watch the show while eating dinner religiously. He would just laugh and laugh. That’s how I will remember about him. I am thankful to have been able to catch up with him in recent years. Prays for his boys and the rest of his loved ones.
XoxoX
Kristin ‘Kitchen’ Wesse
God Bless.
Good man.
Great times at Christmas back in the day.
So glad Tom became a part of my life , a gracious, selfless, humble man who I’m happy to say was my friend . I’ll miss you very much
Esther
Where do I begin..our friendship was short, but boy was he a blessing in my life. I met him, serving him and his brother Don, at my job at pestos. We connected right away after he had told me he was a nurse and I was also pursuing nursing before having kids. He was so kind!! I’m also going through a divorce and he was always checking in on me, asking if he could do anything to help me. He even brought me a stethoscope, that I will keep forever, in his memory! He made my daughters and I bird houses, just out of the kindness of his own heart. He invited my daughters and I to a Christmas gathering at his Croatian lodge and it was so fun!! He always invited me to join him at church and I hadn’t gotten around to it yet. May god bless this man’s soul and may he fly high in the heavens!!! Tom, I will miss you so much! Even though our friendship was short, you will be a lasting memory in my heart!!!