In Loving Memory

Tom
Patzelt Sr.

Father · Grandfather of 7 · Healer · Blackhawks Fan · Santa Claus

He would be today
Born July 9, 1954
Passed September 16, 2021

Scroll to remember him

The Man

Many roles.
One enormous heart.

Tom Sr. was the kind of person who left a mark on everyone he met. Whether it was the regulars at Simpson's Tavern who knew his voice before they saw his face, the crews he worked alongside at Guerra Construction, or the clients who found peace under his hands during his long career in massage therapy Tom showed up fully, every time.

He raised Mariana and Tom Jr. with Blanca always at his side, built a home full of noise and love, and found a way to make all seven grandchildren feel like his favorite. That was his real gift: making every person feel chosen.

He passed on September 16, 2021, and left behind a family that still finds him in the small moments a laugh that sounds like his, a generous impulse, a frozen backyard in January.


Simpson's Tavern building

The Early Years

Simpson's Tavern

He was the light of the room behind the bar. He kept people united.

Construction work

Building Things

Construction

He made many friends, showed his hard work ethic, and worked hard to feed his family.

Northwest Airlines plane at sunset

Midway Airport Days

Northwest Airlines

He had so many friends at the Northwest counter and at Sky Cap. The airport was another place where Tom showed up fully and people remembered him for it.

Tom giving chair massages

The Healer

Massage Therapy

One day he decided to change careers and proved that it can be done at an older age.

A Winter Tradition

He Built Us an Ice Rink

Every winter, when the temperatures dropped far enough, Papi would disappear into the backyard with a hose and a mission. Layer by layer, night after night, he flooded and froze the grass until the whole yard became a proper ice rink.

It wasn't just something he did for us. Hockey was in his blood. He lived and breathed the Chicago Blackhawks, and giving his kids and grandkids a rink was his way of sharing that passion the only way he knew how: by building it with his own hands.

Those winter nights on the ice are engraved in every heart that was lucky enough to be there. The cold air, the scrape of skates, his laugh when someone wiped out.

🏒

Blackhawks Fan for LifeChicago through and through

⛸️

"Layer by layer, night by night he gave us a rink, and we didn't even know he was giving us a memory."

The People He Loved Most

His Family

Seven grandchildren. Two kids. One devoted wife. The center of everything.

💍
BlancaHis Wife
👧
MarianaHis Daughter
👦
Tom Jr.His Son
7 GrandkidsHis Greatest Joy

Every December, He Was Santa

In his final years, Tom found one more role that fit him like it was made for him. He played Santa Claus during the Christmas season and if you knew Tom, you know he barely needed a costume. The warmth, the laugh, the way he made children feel absolutely seen and believed in that was already there.

He wasn't just playing a character. He was being himself, fully, in the one role that asked for exactly what he'd always given.

Share a Memory

He touched a lot of lives.

Father · Grandfather of 7 · Healer · Blackhawks Fan · Santa Claus

Did you know Tom from Simpson's? Work alongside him at Guerra? Was he your massage therapist or your Santa? Add your memory and a photo below your photos appear in the gallery.