Thomas E. Blais
|
| |
|
Thomas Edward Blais
|
Born in Chicago, IL on Apr. 13, 1930
Departed on Jul. 6, 2014 and resided in Virginia Beach, VA.
|
|
|
  |
Thomas Edward Blais departed this life on July 6, 2014 in Virginia Beach, VA. He was 84.
Born April of 1930 in Chicago, IL, Tom was raised in that city's Southside area by loving parents, educated in Catholic schools and served as an altar boy. His father was a milkman, and Tom would often recount tales of watching his Pop carry huge milk cans up steep staircases in pre-elevator apartment buildings, never slowing his pace and never complaining. Tom's lifelong love of "cowboy pictures" began there, when he'd hop a ride on a streetcar to the theater and spend a Saturday afternoon dreaming of action and adventure. From his parents, his church and those cowboys, Tom learned the value of loyalty, hard work and honor.
He immersed himself in sports, excelling in football, swimming and water polo in high school. The lesson that hard work and practice are rewarded with desirable results was ingrained in him in the pool and on the gridiron. (A budding baseball career was short-lived, after his stint as catcher while using a first baseman's mitt resulted in the forceful loss of a front tooth. That experience taught Tom the importance of choosing the correct tool for the job at hand, and respect for attention to detail.)
When not playing sports or studying, Tom worked in the inferno of Chicago's steel mills, scraping molten hot slag from the bottom of huge pour buckets. Often the near incendiary temperatures would cause young Tom to pass out, upon which his benevolent older co-workers would briskly douse him with rejuvenating pails of water, haul him to his feet and return a shovel to his hand. Much like the "fire and water" tempering of steel, this repeated experience taught Tom resilience. Balancing his exuberant athleticism with arduous and dangerous toil went a long way in preparing him for his eventual life's work.
Tom joined the United States Navy after High School, and enjoyed a 27 year career in the Special Warfare Community as an Underwater Demolition Team "Frogman" and Navy SEAL – at UDT 21 and 22 and SEAL Team 2. Tom even enjoyed the privilege of completing the challenging UDT training course twice, in classes 4 and 16. Tom was a Master Chief. He served in Viet Nam. He practiced martial arts, mastered skydiving, was a weapons expert and studied warfare. He espoused the maxim of "100% Participation" in everything he did, and began to accumulate injuries to illustrate that tenet. Total body arthritis is inevitable when one has broken most of the bones in one's body, replaced joints and endured countless surgeries, but Tom considered it a fair trade for a dream job.
As Head Instructor for UDT/SEAL Training, he was instrumental in helping to mold a generation of our country's elite warriors. Tom loved "The Teams", considered his teammates his family, and sought to keep his charges safe by teaching, hardening and preparing them well. The values he learned in his childhood were the same he passed on to his men – loyalty, hard work, honor, detail, resilience. His friendships among this particular band of brothers were lifelong, and he cherished them.
While young Tom was formidable in his own right, he willingly admitted that he would never have become the man he was without the love, care and influence of his beloved wife Florence. Smitten after spying her on her high school Senior Trip to Washington DC in 1948, Tom spent every leave and liberty of the next four years diligently courting Flo – hitchhiking from Norfolk, VA to Rochester, NY to see her. Often he was rebuffed, as Flo initially was having none of it, but in time he won her heart and they were married in 1952. 46 years later Tom lost the love of his life to cancer, but those 46 years were spent together, making a life and raising their children Margaret, Eva, Rock and Maria. Florence supported, encouraged, empowered and sustained Tom, and he credited her as the source of much of the good that could be found in him.
Tom was not always an easy man to get along with, and he did not excel in all areas…but he got up every day and he did his best. In many ways, Tom's "best" has effected a profound positive in the world and for this country, through his own actions and those of the many exemplary men who count him as one of their most powerful mentors.
He was one stone, but his ripple reached all shores of his pond. For that, and for so many more gifts, there are many who will be forever grateful.
Master Chief Tom Blais was preceded in death by his beloved wife Florence DelRosso Blais and son Rock Edward Blais, LCDR SEAL, USN. He is survived by a loving family: daughter Eva Blais Anderson, son-in-law George Anderson, grandchildren Michelle and Will with great grandson Beau, grandchildren David and Tiffany with great grandsons David Jr. and Joshua, and granddaughters Jamie and Jeena all reside in the Virginia Beach area. Daughter Maria Blais O'Laughlin and son-in-law Brian O'Laughlin with grandson Liam live in Greenville, NC. Former daughter-in-law Dawn Jonas and grandchildren Scott Blais and Kathryn Blais are residents of New York, New York.
Funeral services will be held 17 July 2014 at JEB Little Creek. Donations in lieu of flowers may be made in Tom's name to the UDT/SEAL Association at www.udtseal.org. Prayers are gratefully appreciated.
Condolences may be offered to the family by signing the guestbook.
|
|
|
|
