Lukas, Thomas William, 70, of Scottsdale, Arizona, passed suddenly after a brief illness on December 15, 2019.
Tom was born in Chicago, Illinois to Edward B. Lukas and Rita J. Lukas on October 24, 1949. He earned his Bachelor of Arts at John Carroll University in 1971; and his Juris Doctor at Northern Illinois University in 1981. Tom married Deborah (nee Nelson) on June 26, 1982 and moved to Arizona in 1984. Thomas was active with the Downtown and Scottsdale YMCA; he volunteered as a Marshall with the Fiesta Bowl parade and other Fiesta Bowl charity activities. Tom was an avid sports enthusiast.
Tom was a loving husband and friend to Deborah for 37 years. He is also survived by his sister Laurita Lukas of Elmhurst, Illinois; his in-laws from Olathe, Kansas, Vern and Diane Nelson, Terri Olsen, Greg (Diane) Nelson and Christine Nelson. He had many cousins, was an uncle to many nieces and nephews and a great friend to many.
Tom is preceded in death by his parents (Edward and Rita Lukas) and his brother (William Thomas Lukas).
Cremation was entrusted to Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home a memorial service will be announced at a later date. In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be given to one of his favorite charities: Kino Border Initiative, PO Box 159, Nogales, AZ 85628-0159; www.kinoborderinitiative.org
Malu Mauga
Sorry for your loss Deborah. Tom was my boss at Capitol and also a friend. We had recently exchanged messages on Facebook for our birthdays and I had no idea about his battle. May you rest in peace my friend!
Thoughts and prayers to you and the family Deborah.
Malu
Kathleen Klish
Deb: I’m so very sorry for the loss of your sweet husband, Tom. May you find some comfort during this difficult time. You are loved by many and will be in good hands through God’s hands with Sandy and Jim. Praying for you my friend. Love you to bits.
Zach Doyle
So sorry for your loss Deb.
Greg Novak
Tom was a great guy and a great friend. We bonded 20 years ago playing lunchtime basketball at the downtown Y. We shared Chicago roots and love of the Blackhawks and Bears and agreed to disagree about Cubs vs Sox. We were political soulmates. Tom was smart, funny, compassionate and kind . I’m grateful for our friendship, Tom. Merry Christmas.
Lori Hodge
I am so very sorry for your loss. My prayers are with you.
Rober Harris
So sorry for your loss our prayers are with you. Dougal & Bob
Christine White
Deb,
Larry and I are so sorry to hear about Tom. We certainly did not see that coming. Our hearts ache for you and pray that you have peace. Tom was such a wonderful person and friend. He is going to be missed by many, including us. Please let us know when the service will be and if there is anything else we can do
Christine & Larry
Steve Petrila
My condolences on your loss. You will be missed by all…
Andy Polizzi
Dear Lukas family,
I am so very sorry for your loss. I met Tom around 1971 when we both worked at C T Corporation in Chicago. We stayed in touch through many moves around the country and changes in jobs and employers. Tom had a wonderful sense of humor and we laughed through many lunches at C T Chicago. Tom was a great friend and did take a lot of ribbing about being a White Sox fan from the North Side. But he was also the kind of guy who would do a favor for people even when they worked at a competing company. He will be sorely missed.
Fr. Sean Carroll, S.J.
Debra: Please accept my deepest condolences on Tom’s passing. May God give you comfort and strength and may Tom rest in peace. Take care, Debra, and God bless, Fr. Sean
George Romero
Deb,
I’m devastated by the news of Tom’s passing. Rosie and I extend our deepest condolences to you and the families. I echo the sentiment that he will be missed by all that came to know him. Tom and I became fast and lifetime friends after he re-located to CT San Francisco in the 80s, and he remained one of my closest friends to this day. To say that the world was a better place with Tom in it is such an understatement, but true nonetheless. There is a hole in my heart. I am so, so sorry for your loss.
Love, George & Rosie
Bob & Rita Liegl
We know that after some time the loss begins to sink in. During this time we wanted to say the memories will live on – even our few times where we went to dinner or a baseball game will be at the heart of his spirit. He’s with his heroes and I’m sure will be blessing you ever day. Let us know if there are any memorials or events we can support in his name. Take care.