Thomas (Tom/Tommy) James Terusa, born May 27, 1949, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Saturday October 12, 2024, in Irvine, California.

Tom was born to Hank and Irene Terusa at Valley Presbyterian Hospital in Van Nuys, California on May 27th, 1949. Tom was the first of eight children, two boys and six girls, all of whom shared the initials "TT". It wasn't hard to get tongue twisted when trying to address either Tommy, Terii, Toni, Tami, Traci, Tina, Timmy or Trudi! Tom grew up with the Terusa clan in Pacoima, CA for most of their lives before settling on Walnut Street in Burbank, CA. In his younger years, it wasn't uncommon to find Tommy teasing one of his younger sisters, running the streets of Los Angeles with his buddies or playing little league baseball where the famous line was repeated relentlessly, "Come on Mijo!". On Friday nights, you could always find Tommy at the Tom Thumb Racetracks on Woodman & Nordhoff racing his "Tiny Tom Thumb" car as a midget race car driver. But every Sunday he would settle down and volunteer his time as an altar boy at Mary Immaculate Catholic Church.

As Tommy grew older, he attended Alemany High School where he remained very active. He played for the varsity football team and ran hurdles for the varsity track team. It was at Alemany where Tom met and fell in love with his future wife, Mariann Calvet. After attending both the Senior Prom and Homecoming dance together, it was from then on that they were inseparable.  Tom and Mariann fell madly in love and wanted nothing else in life but to be together.

After high school, Tom briefly worked at Universal Studios then ended up working for his Dad at Dick and Hank's Mobil Gas Station in Hollywood…"Where the stars get gassed".

It wasn't long after this that Tom and Mariann set the date for their wedding on October 3rd, 1970. They were married at the beautiful San Fernando Mission before their family and friends. Soon after this, they purchased their first house in Granada Hills, CA on Shoshone Ave where they immediately started their family. In 1972 they welcomed their first child, Jenny, into the world. Two years later, their first son Tony was welcomed into the family. After that, in 1976, Joey entered the young Terusa clan. When pregnant with their fourth child, they quickly realized that their growing family was getting too big for their small house on Shoshone. So, in 1979, they packed their bags and headed for "the California Promise", the newly built community called Mission Viejo. If moving this growing family from Los Angeles to Orange County wasn't enough, fate threw them a zinger of having to move all three children with chicken pox…while, if you recall, being pregnant with number four! But they persevered, made the move, settled in South OC and welcomed their fourth child, Vince, to the Terusa Party!

Mission Viejo is where Tom and Mariann found their roots and grounded themselves for 45+ years. Tom landed a job at the Orowheat/Entenmann's Company as a route salesman, where he ended up remaining for 30 years. At the beginning, Tom not only provided for his family by working early morning shifts as a route salesman, but he was also very active with the kid's baseball, soccer, band and orchestra activities. He even volunteered his time as head coach for some of boy's teams. If that wasn't enough, for years, Tom played in an evening softball league at the Alicia Fields where the kids would run amuck, Mariann and the wives would socialize, and Tom and the team would share brewskis in between innings.

Even with this busy schedule, Tom and Mariann would carve out time to have date nights every Friday night. Their oldest, Jenny, recalls watching her parents, with smiles from ear to ear, get all dressed up with the sounds of Solid Gold playing in the background before they would enjoy a night out on the town! Of course they were all smiles, they were escaping the zoo of a house full of children, animals, endless dishes and laundry! None of that mattered though, Tom and Mariann's love grew stronger every day amidst all of the chaos. These date nights were a small representation of their love for one another. This set a lasting impression on their children until this day.

Tom knew that date nights with his love were important. But he also knew that indulging in his own activities were important as well. So, the introduction of the famous men's poker nights was birthed! Tom would host the popular poker night with his lifelong buddies at the house that would end up being a tradition for 45+ years. The poker nights would begin in the early evening and would ring loudly through the house for all hours of the night and into the morning. It wasn't uncommon for Mariann to get the kids ready for school while the men were still going strong in their gambling pleasure.

Tom and Mariann had very strong friendships that also made a lasting impression on the kids. Tom and Mariann would always find time to have fun with their core group of friends over the years. These groups of "adult children" would always find new and fun ways to entertain themselves. For instance, they were known to have karaoke nights…but back before karaoke was a thing. They would rig a system up where one person would put headphones on and sing the song that was being fed through their earpiece. But, all the while, someone else was controlling the music and could turn down the volume to the audience at any moment, leaving the singer to be belting out the tune "a cappella" without knowing it. This made for a night full of laughter! If the group wasn't coming up with ways to have fun and embarrass one another, they would all be at either Lake Mission Viejo with the kids, at various theme parks or just having BBQs at one another's homes. Tom and Mariann's life was certainly full of music, laughter, friendships and love!

Tom continued to stay just as active as he did as a child and teenager. Aside from his softball league, he also found time to backpack, fish and golf. Taking the family on camping trips was also a very big part of the Terusa Family's life. They would frequently camp in Bishop, CA… Tom's happy place! It was here that he would take the kids on nature walks, teach them how to fish and how to survive in the wild.

As the years passed, the kids grew older and started to raise families of their own. Tom and Mariann were eventually blessed with four grandchildren that were their new centers of attention. Tom and Mariann would continue to attend baseball games, track meets, theatre performances and band concerts, but this time as grandparents. And nothing made them happier.

Tom and Mariann were married for 49 wonderful years. Unfortunately, in February of 2019, after struggling with Parkinson's Disease for seven years, the love of Tom's life was taken from him. Tom cared for Mariann through her struggles with this disease and never left her side.

Tom was devoted to Mariann just as he had promised to be back when they met at Alemany.

Life without Mariann was difficult for Tom. She was certainly his soul mate and the center of his happiness. She was his everything. Even through this difficulty, Tom continued to find joy in his life. He continued to play golf and have the famous poker games with his buddies. He continued his hobby of rebuilding and repairing cars just as he did as a child and back at Dick and Hank's Auto. Most importantly, he continued to have a full and happy life with his kids and grandkids.

If you ask anyone that knew Tom for years or had just met him for one minute, they would all agree that he was one of the greatest men they had ever known. He always had a smile on his face and had one of the most infectious laughs you'd ever hear.

Kind, generous, loving, and devoted are just a few words that describe Tom. But behind all this joy, there was heartache. The heartache he faced every day he was apart from Mariann. Without her, his sun didn't shine as bright. Without her, his laughter didn't ring as loud. Without her, his heart was only half full. For five years without Mariann, Tom tried to find a way to be strong and live on this earth without her. But he was never complete and just couldn't bear to be away from the love of his life. As much as he tried, his heart ached too much. On October 12th, Tom didn't leave us because of age or illness. Tom left us because of a broken heart. The moment he left us and left his body, Mariann was waiting for him with open arms… the reunion he had been longing for.

Tom will be missed by many, but his legacy continues through his children and grandchildren. His sense of humor and laughter will continue through them. You will see his smile in all their faces. The love of his friends and family will live on forever. And you will notice that the sun is brighter now that he has been reunited with his love.

Tom and Mariann, the greatest love story there has ever been, are eternally together forever.

Tom is survived by his four children, Jenny, Tony, Joey and Vince, his four grandchildren Nicolas, Ellena, Mallory and Antoni, his sisters Terii, Toni, Tami, Traci and Tina, and his brother Tim.

The Service & Celebration of Tom Terusa will be held on:

December 7, 2024, 10:30am Saint Kilian Church

26872 Estanciero Drive Mission Viejo, CA. 92691

A reception, in Hughes Hall, will follow immediately after the service.

In lieu of flowers or gifts, we kindly ask that donations be made to The Parkinson's Foundation at https://parkinson.org/ways-to-give .