In loving memory of
Thomas Ouellette

• September 21, 1943
• -
• December 14, 2021

We are so sorry for your loss.
I know you feel blessed to have had some wonderful moments to treasure the love you have for each other.
Our deepest sympathy.
Love Mike and Kathy Micek

What a great guy. What a privilege it was for me to have Tom for an uncle. Best thing he ever did was to marry Aunt Judy (my mother’s baby sister). I was going on 13 when they got married. Because my mother came from a large-but-close family, for decades we enjoyed their company at all the things large families DO celebrate – weddings, picnics, milestone birthdays, major wedding anniversaries and holidays like Thanksgiving and Christmas.

When they moved from Minnesota to The Villages in 2006, I was concerned that I might not see Uncle Tom and Aunt Judy as much. Florida doesn’t border Minnesota, like Iowa or Wisconsin does. But as things turned out, I saw them quite a bit in Florida. For several years, I took a break from Minnesota winters and flew down there to stay with them for a week or so. We would play golf (it IS The Villages, after all), eat at some great restaurants, meet some of the many friends they had made there over the years, and take some “day trips” to state parks and other cities in central Florida.

My Uncle Tom got along well with everybody – the people he worked with, those he saw at Mass on Sundays, the cashiers in the supermarket, and the servers in restaurants. It always amazed me how easily he could talk to people he didn’t know, but always manage to put them at ease. I loved the rides we took in his golf cart to get around, whether it was to the golf course, one of the downtown squares, or even a quick trip to the supermarket or gas station. I was an early bird, like him and my aunt, and I remember the relaxing moments in the morning, when we would sit on their porch, read the paper and drink the coffee he had made long before the sun came up. Uncle Tom and I both loved sports, and I have great memories of time spent in his “man cave” watching football, basketball or hockey – ESPECIALLY hockey - on his big-screen TV.

Leaving The Villages to return home was always hard for me, because it was so enjoyable. As he did every time I said goodbye, Uncle Tom would help me bring my bags from the house out to the shuttle van, which then would take me to the airport in Orlando. The last time I visited them was in March 2020. I didn’t know it then, but after my bags were loaded on the van and I said to Uncle Tom, “Thanks again to you and Auntie for everything,” it turned out to be the last time that I would see him.

Uncle Tom may have grown up in Minnesota and lived there most of his life, but he was a true Villager. I’m glad he and Aunt Judy “took a chance” and moved to The Villages in 2006. Uncle Tom has touched so many people’s lives there. I’m sorry the last year or so was such a tough one for him, healthwise – and for his family. To Aunt Judy, my cousins Jeff and Julie, their children (Uncle Tom’s grandchildren) and other family members, you have my deepest sympathies.

RIP, Uncle Tommy. Thanks for the memories.

Uncle Tom was one of my favorite uncles. Our families grew up together, many great memories at each others homes for holidays, weeks at the lake, you would take Danny and I along for camping trips and we spent so many fun weeks with your family in Florida after your move. You always had a smile or I should say smirk on your face thinking of something witty to say to me. Uncle Tom gave me the name Mickey and that stuck with me for my whole life. :) You made a great impression on my life, with your calm nature and positive outlook on living. Uncle Tom had many years of ill health and pain he needed to manage and yet I would never know it when I saw him as he always seemed to be happy. He was a remarkable man in whom I looked up to and am proud to have known.

I am happy you are now comfortable and enjoying the company of your loved ones in Heaven and my sympathies go out to the family left with the loss in your heart, but be comforted in knowing you will again be reunited with Uncle Tom one day.