Thomas Joseph Willis

Mar 7, 1934 -

Nov 20, 2023

Thomas Joseph Willis was born in Mullingar, County Westmeath, Ireland, on March 7, 1934, the sixth of seven children of Patrick and Mary Willis. Tom's father passed when he was young and his life as a working man started early. Like many Irish of his generation, Tom and his sibling emigrated in the 1950s and 1960s. His path took him from Europe to North America through Canada and eventually to his beloved Alaska, becoming a naturalized citizen in 1965. During the Alaska oil boom, Tom worked in the construction industry. Like many Alaskans, he never found a car that he couldn't fix or a dog he didn't like.

Curly hair and a sparkly smile added to an Irish brogue only rounded out Tom's affability! The phrase, "There are no strangers, only friends you have yet to meet" suited Tommy to a T. He would often come back from the gas station or grocery store after a brief interaction with someone he'd never met, only to tell us some deeply personal, interesting story they had just shared with him. Tom would go out of his way to help others; his generosity was a lesson for us all.

We, his daughters, had a beautiful childhood with him. Summers spent with cousins and a dog or two on the beach in front of the little cabin he built at Lowell Point. We learned to cast far, to reel-in, to set the hook and land the fish. Fishing lessons and life lessons. Tom was a talented storyteller, whether it was singing little songs he had made up, or reciting a poem he concocted about a beloved three-legged dog. He was good at telling tales. He always had a smile, and was always humming or whistling a little tune, which continued throughout his life even as dementia robbed him of many other faculties.

Tommy had several health scares over his lifetime and was given last rites four times, prompting a friend of ours to say, he was either the unluckiest or luckiest Irishman ever! He lost most of his fingers to frostbite in the 1980s, but that never slowed him down. He would often be seen in a conspiratorial huddle with little kids at a restaurant or a gathering, they would be wide eyed and staring at his frostbitten hands, listening to a marvelous story about a fierce battle with a pack of wolverines! He wasn't shy talking about politics or religion, he enjoyed reminding us that we have it pretty good. He would tell us, everyone puts their pants on one leg at a time, we are no better than anyone else, and they are no better than we are. Tom saw the good in people, we saw the good in him. He had wonderfully happy times with his family in Anchorage and a peaceful life in Hope. Tom loved his family, his grandchildren and all his dear friends. He made a beautiful life in his adopted home. He was loved and will be deeply missed. Ar dheis De go raibh a anam uasal; May his noble soul be at God's right hand.

Tom is survived by daughters, Monina Willis, Liling (John) Sherry; grandchildren, Aminah Willis, Samuel Sherry, Joseph Sherry and Taylor Mafileo; longtime partner, Gail Dalrymple; former wife, Juanita Pelagio; sister, Kathleen Dingley; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his daughter, Kim Willis Crowley; parents, Mary and Patrick Willis; sister, Maura Lissone; and older brothers, Patrick, Joseph, Bernard and Christopher Willis.

A funeral mass will be held at Holy Family Cathedral on Monday, Dec. 11, 2023, at 1:30 p.m., with a reception to follow in the Parish Hall.