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Contella, Thomas J.

August 28, 1941 –
 August 3, 2015

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

    Charles Allen
    22 Aug 2015
    4:06pm

    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.

    Marilyn D'Orazio
    22 Aug 2015
    4:25pm

    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.

    Joe Schalberg
    22 Aug 2015
    7:06pm

    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

    Mel Thomas
    22 Aug 2015
    8:44pm

    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.

    Ken Godsey
    23 Aug 2015
    8:55am

    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.

    Margaret Miles
    23 Aug 2015
    4:52pm

    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.

    Jim Koltuniak
    26 Aug 2015
    5:58pm

    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.

    Mark Mangham
    27 Aug 2015
    11:50pm

    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.

    Nick Gray
    28 Aug 2015
    8:03am

    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

    Sonny Robbins
    29 Aug 2015
    8:47am

    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!

    Phil George
    31 Aug 2015
    5:08pm

    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.

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"Nothing prepares you for the grief you go through when losing a child. I called this funeral home at 2:00 am broken and could barely talk. The amount of compassion and empathy they showed me immediately let me know I found the right place to cremate my son. I cannot thank them enough for their professionalism, SINCERE concern, and commitment to making sure my son was honored in the most respectful way. I hope this Funeral home values her as much as my family and I do."
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The Peterson Family
The Peterson FamilyYelp! Review - Northwest Highway 5-Stars
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"I can’t say enough about how helpful and professional Dusty Martin, the funeral director at the Aria Cremation location on NW Highway has been. From my initial call, he was kind and informative. My friend died at home while on hospice and she was picked up in about an hour after receiving the call from the hospice nurse. The person who arrived to pick her up was also very professional/respectful and allowed us to take as much time with her as we wished. When I met with Dusty the next day about arrangements, he explained the process and options available without being pushy or trying to “sell” extras. Throughout the process, he kept me informed and, for example, was careful to be certain I understood the cost of the obituary I wanted and offered some options for reducing that cost if I wished. When I stopped by for another reason and started talking about some of the problems I was having with the pictures and media I hoped to use at a memorial lunch I was planning, he not only listened patiently but offered technology advice and let me use his personal media player. I have had experience arranging cremations for four others using two other local companies, and this experience with Dusty at Aria has been by far the best one I have had."
Paula Barnes
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"My Daddy’s service and our family experience at Aria Northwest Highway was truly blessed. Funeral Director Dustin Martin is the kind of person that you would like to see on a more regular basis – but in his industry – you hope to not see him that often. That being said – THANK YOU DUSTIN for your unending kindness, compassion and friendship through the process. Meeting you and discussing Dallas History, Find A Grave and my Dad’s lifelong contributions to the great City of Dallas was simply wonderful! In memory of my dad James A. Dodd, Sr. – I want to personally thank you and let you know that you made everything better in that moment. Your calling to “Be There” is spot on. Aria has a one in a million guy in you! Bling Blinky of TEXAS Shout Out: God Bless You!!"
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