Thomas Savage

Thomas Michael Savage passed away at the age of 71 on September 29th, 2023 at his home in Evergreen, Colorado.

He was born on Thanksgiving Day November 22nd, 1951 to proud parents Rita Patrone and Thomas Savage in Worcester, Massachusetts. No two parents could have been more thankful for such a special holiday blessing--their only child.

Little Tommy and his parents spent his childhood surrounded by Italian, Irish, and Lithuanian grandparents, aunts, uncles, and cousins on Arthur Street. He’d race home from school at Rice Square Elementary to be greeted by his mother, both grandmothers, and whoever else was at the triple decker that day. They’d cook big Italian family meals together regularly, head to the beach in the summer, and go skating at the lake in the winter. He was the love of his mother’s life, and his father’s best friend. His childhood was filled with family and love, and he was always wearing a pair of Converse and a B hat.

During high school at Doherty Memorial, he met a girl from the Catholic school on a blind date. Marguerite “Peg” Falcone would become his first big love and mother of his three children.

In what would become a running theme of his life, through perseverance and good old fashioned hard work he was accepted to study Chemical Engineering at Worcester Polytechnic Institute. He spent his college years surrounded by friends that would become like family at the Sigma Alpha Epsilon house. He graduated with distinction from WPI in 1973. As a testament to his commitment to his education and career path, in 1978 he also earned a master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of New Haven.

After undergraduate graduation and a wedding, Tom and Peg set off on the adventure of their marriage--one that would take them to 6 states and 10 homes over the course of 17 years. Early in their journey, Tom and Peg started a family. At the first stop in Connecticut, they welcomed their son, Bryan. At their second stop in upstate New York, they welcomed their oldest daughter, Karen. And finally, on their third stop in Western Massachusetts youngest daughter Tracy completed their family unit. Kentucky, New York again, and Texas would round out the adventure before the fivesome landed in their dream state of Colorado, where Tom would spend the remainder of his life.

Tom was hired out of college as a chemical engineer and then moved into sales, where he would thrive and advance through the highest levels of management with the help of his old friend and constant best attribute, perseverance. This advance and growth in a field that he truly loved is what catapulted he and his family across the country. He put his heart and soul into his career every day, and it was surely one of the prides of his life. He would remind his children often of the importance of a strong work ethic, a passion for a job more than well done, and that the customer is always right (always).

After landing in Colorado, Tom’s life was filled with family, travel, cooking, photography, hiking, biking, hockey games, and more. He found his second big love, Lu Capra, and her daughter Danielle, and they made the move as a blended family to Evergreen—a town that Tom would treasure for the rest of his life.

Work successes continued to follow Tom through this time in his life, spending long stints in Chicago, Seattle, San Francisco and Laguna Beach. In 2004 he married his third big love, Julia Bollig. He would eventually retire and they would travel the world together. Little Tommy from Arthur Street could never have imagined all the countries he would get to see with someone he loved so dearly, and experiencing the world in this way was certainly another big pride in his life.

But certainly, there was no bigger pride for Tom than his three children. He taught them how to ride a bike, how to throw a baseball, how to catch a wave, how to lick an ice cream cone, and more. He reminded them every day to dream, and that no accomplishment was out of their reach. He supported their desires, he challenged them when needed, he gave guidance and advice with each child in mind. He reminded them of his old friend perseverance, and how far that can take you in life. He taught them how to drive a stick shift. He tutored them through every math class. He would shoot hoops endlessly with Bryan on the weekend, he would sneak Karen on rollercoasters when she wasn’t quite tall enough, and he would remind Tracy every day that she was his precious baby girl.

As the kids grew, his relationships with each of them evolved into dinners and conversations, Avalanche and CU games, playing gin rummy and 52 card pick up, and more. Some of the best moments of his life were on family vacations where he taught his children to put the top down, turn up the mix tape, drive fast, and enjoy the view. There would never be anything better than a great meal with a family that you love in a beautiful location. Lying on the beach, reading in the sand, body surfing, listening to Jimmy Buffet, and doing it all again the next day. He worked hard his whole life to be able to curate exceptional experiences for everyone he loved, and he did it well and often.

Bryan’s wife Krissy, Tracy’s husband Steve, and four beloved grandchildren would complete the family. Every time he saw Steven, Colin, Owen, and Ella his eyes would light up with pride and love. He always knew they would all do great things, because they were Savages through and through.

Tom loved sitting on his porch with Julia at his final home in Evergreen (arguably his favorite place on Earth) watching the deer and the birds and the foxes and the squirrels. He’d say “Wowwww” every single time because every wildlife spotting was a miracle. He loved reading mystery books and watching movies way too loud. He loved playing golf, cribbage, and basketball. He loved his favorite Nikes and his favorite Tommy Bahama shirts and he always bought extras so he'd never run out. He loved finding the very best seats in the stadium and analyzing pretty much everything. He never bought a home without visiting it at least 10 times. He made lists of lists, and he put them all on notecards. He labeled Tupperware with duct tape and he wrapped presents in newspaper. He loved Die Hard & Christmas Vacation. He loved scalding hot coffee and kept at least 5 coats in his car at all times. He taught himself to cook in his 40s, and the pages of his cookbooks are marked on, written in, and splattered with pasta sauce. He loved writing poetry just like his mom. He loved Venice and Maui. He loved taking pictures and he loved watching the sunset.

Tom is survived by Bryan, Krissy, Steven & Colin; Karen; Tracy, Steve, Owen & Ella; and Julia and their bunny Louis. He will be deeply and dearly missed by all that knew and loved him.

“Some of it’s magic and some of it’s tragic but I had a good life all the way.” -Jimmy Buffet

Services will be held privately. In lieu of flowers, please donate to Spero Recovery Center in Evergreen.

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