Contella, Thomas J.
Obituary
CONTELLA, Tom of Dallas, Texas passed away on August 3, 2015. Tom was born in Abilene, Texas to Jack and Rosie Contella on August 28, 1941. He was a graduate of Snyder High School in Snyder, Texas and later entered the United States Army in 1965, where he was stationed in Anchorage, Alaska. After an honorable discharge, Tom and his father established and operated the Tommy and Jack Contella Restaurant, a local cafe in Snyder. They worked together for fifteen years before Tom moved to Dallas to begin a new career in sales for the Lorillard Tobacco Company. In 1976, Tom accepted a position with Wrigley, where he eventually became a regional sales manager. Tom retired from Wrigley in 2000, but continued his affiliation with the company as a consultant for two years. In this role, he traveled to fourteen Caribbean Islands as well as parts of South America. Tom was predeceased by his mother Rosie, his father Jack, and his sister Ellie. He is survived by Marianne Parry, his longtime companion of thirty years; his nephew Darren Otto and wife Laura Otto and their three daughters Connor, Hale, and Emory of McKinney, Texas; and cousin Tom Rovello and wife Susan of Houston. A memorial service to celebrate Tom’s life will be held at 11:00 A.M., Saturday, August 29, 2015 at North Dallas Funeral Home Chapel located at 2710 Valley View Lane, Dallas, Texas 75234. In lieu of flowers, donations in Tom’s honor may be sent to the American Lung Association. The family would like to thank VNA Hospice Team for their attentive care and assistance. Arrangements are under the direction of ARIA Cremation Service and Funeral Home 19310 Preston Road Dallas, Texas 75252 214-306-6700
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My condolences to the family for the loss of a great individual that will be missed by all that he touched with his outgoing personality.
May God rest his soul.
Tom was an amazing, hard working and all around fun guy to work with. We had many fun times working together at Wrigley’s. My thoughts and prayers are with his family and the many friends he leaves behind.
Always a great guy to be around, share stories and laugh
My condolences to Tom’s family. As part of his Wrigley family, we all lost someone great
Tom was one of a kind boss & friend. Some of my craziest times were when I worked with Tom on a project with Wrigley. Never knew how to use an electrical drill but I was a pro after working with Tom. He always said “I have forgotten more than you have learned”. Heaven gained a unique one.
Tom had remarkable inner strength, resilience, and a positive attitude in spite of the difficulties he faced. He was a pleasure to be with and an example for us all.
Tom will be missed by so many friends. He was such a fun person. He and Mariann have been dear friends for many
years. Go with God, dear friend.
I worked with Tom directly and indirectly for over 20 years at Wrigley. He set high standards for work ethic, attention to detail and his appearance. After work, Tom enjoyed gathering around a piano and would sing some of his favorite songs such as, Frank Sinatra’s “All The Way” and Tony Bennett’s “I Left My Heart In San Francisco”. Tom had unique coaching phrase when one of his representatives needed a little coaching. He would say, “I’m going to have a come to Jesus meeting with that person”. This really wasn’t a religious experience, but positive results were achieved. May his soul rest in peace and my sincere condolences to members of his family and his friends.
Tom hired me in 1991 and I am still with Wrigley after 24 years. I love my job and owe it all to him for hiring me. I hadn’t seen Tom in years but when I found out about his diagnoses I called him and we talked for awhile. I thanked him for hiring me and for being such a great boss. I kind of got emotional talking to him and told him although he was tough on us at times, he always stood up for us. We talked about some of our best memories and laughed. I have some great memories of working with him. I remember him telling me once (after a manager berated me over something) he said “Heck boy, your 6′ 3″, don’t ever let anyone talk to you like that, ever!!”. Lol Before I hung up, I asked him if he knew Jesus Christ as his personal Savior and he said “yes I do”. It’s great to know that one day I will see him again. Prayers from my family to his.
Tom will will be missed at such a high level. I remember meeting Tom 36 years ago when I was twelve and he had given me and my mom a ride home from a convention in Dallas. Not knowing the people who worked for my father, I remember getting out of the car after he walked my mom to the door and saying to her after he walked off ” Boy he is a special person” and was I ever right. Know one I ever worked with knew the relationship we had. Even though he was my Manager he was more of a father figure to me and I will always be grateful to that. Tom, you will be missed by so many especially my family.. We are so grateful to be part of your life and you will be missed dearly and I will never forget the “Come to Jesus” talks we had over the 36 years”…Love you and miss you Tom…. Rest in Peace…. Nick
Tom was a great friend and coworker with a fabulous sense of humor. It was great working with him for 25 yrs. and I will never forget the good times we had. My wife Scottie and I send our deepest condolences to Tom’s family and we know he is resting peacefully now.
God bless and keep you Tom, you will be missed!
I was and am greatly saddened to hear about Tom’s passing. Although I never worked in a close geographical proximity to Tom, I always looked forward to seeing him at meetings and spending time catching up. In my mind, Tom represented the very best in being a great person, co-worker and friend. My sincere condolences go out to his wonderful family – with thoughts and prayers for all. We lost a good one. May he forever rest knowing the positive impact he made on so many. God Bless.