Thomas Cosgrove

Thomas Paul Cosgrove, 83, of Hot Springs Village, Arkansas. Born September 22, 1925, Died July 1, 2009 in Hot Springs, Arkansas.Tom was raised on the South Side of Chicago by his devoted mother. He is pre-deceased by his first wife of 47 years, Iris (Kramer); his Mother Erma Oelkers Cosgrove, - two brothers Joe and John and two sisters Irma and Mary Elizabeth and a grandson (Tom). He leaves behind five sons: Kevin (Connie) , Michael , John (Vicki) , Steve(Laura) and Patrick (Jennifer) as well as 3 grandsons and 4 granddaughters. Tom served his country (Army) honorably in the European Theater during WW II . He always downplayed his contribution but was proud that he served support for Patton and always joked "thankfully never caught him".Upon discharge he used the G.I. Bill to secure a Bachelor's of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering from the U of Illinois - and went into sales. Tom moved the family a number of times until settling in Chicago 's Northwest suburb of Palatine, IL . As they made stops in Boston and New York Tom imbued in all of his sons a strong work ethic, a competitive spirit leavened with good sportsmanship, voracious reading habits, and an appreciation for all forms of music including a love of that "new" art form- jazz. Among his many talents, Iris often remarked that Tom's charm made every woman around him feel "special". Raising his five son's with the verve required to grow boys into gentlemen, Tom gained the affectionate nickname of "the Bomber" by his boys. Being raised without a father, Tom's heart was always centered around raising his boys well, working hard to see that they had what they needed for life.Eventually , he decided to change his career. He studied for and re-took his mechanical engineering license exam ( while going to Mass every morning at St. Thomas in Palatine) and became the Director Of The Physical Plant for High School District 214 where he served until his retirement and subsequent move to Hot Springs Village, AR. After too few years of blissful retirement Tom lost his beloved Iris to cancer in 1999. Tom was lucky enough to find love again in the form of Anne Mullaney-a long -time resident of The Village . Anne has two daughters : Colleen (Dan Fischer ) Maureen and a son , Mike (Sharron)A Memorial service is scheduled for 1:00 p.m. Sunday, July 5, 2009 at CedarVale Funeral Home Chapel. Entombment will be in CedarVale Mausoleum. Family requests that in lieu of flowers donations be made to The Alzheimer's Association in Tom's name. Arrangements are under the direction of CedarVale Funeral Home, Hot Springs Village, AR.

Thomas Cosgrove

September 22, 1925 - July 1, 2009