Tom Houlihan’s love of newspapers began in his early days when he would pour over the Chicago Daily News, one of two afternoon papers and one that was known for taking the side of the little guy in a large community that sometimes seemed oblivious to his needs or existence. He remained a loyal reader of the Daily News up until its demise in 1978. The Daily News was known for fine writing, crisp editing and taking stands on civil rights and other hot-button issues of the day. By the age of 10, he knew that he wanted to work for a newspaper, to be a reporter and help give the little guy a voice. He would realize at least some of that dream.
His first job out of college was for Crescent Newspapers, a string of local papers that covered the southwest suburbs of Chicago. As a novice reporter and editor, he supervised a very small newsroom and learned a great deal, including how to take and develop photos. After two years, he felt like he’d gotten a good start and he accepted a friend’s invitation to travel in Europe for a few months.
When Tom returned, he made a brief foray into special education, earning a master’s degree and pursuing the field for three years. But journalism pulled him back, and he and a friend started the Lockport Free Press in 1976. Although the paper was published for only three years, it was there that he met the woman who would change his life. He wed Kathleen Raymond, the “girl in the office,” in 1979.
He began teaching journalism at Lewis University in Romeoville, Ill., and then became a full-time reporter at the Times of Northwest Indiana in 1982. Over the next six years at the daily paper, he wrote thousands of stories and covered some of the paper’s most high-profile beats. His efforts to bring in a union ended his tenure at the Times. Two weeks later, he was hired at Star Newspapers as an associate editor. A year later, he got an idea for a column. The editor-in-chief ran the piece on the op-ed page. After he submitted two more pieces, he became the Star’s weekly columnist, writing hundreds of pieces about life in the south suburbs. His column ran for the next 20 years. He ultimately became the editorial page editor, a position he was holding when the twice-weekly Star was combined with another local paper. But the publisher eliminated the Star in 2008, bringing an end to the 120-year-old newspaper.
Tom joined Governors State University two months later as a communications writer, retiring in 2013. But he returned to journalism again in 2014 to help launch the Homewood-Flossmoor Chronicle, once again writing a column and sharing his expertise with young journalists. He retired from the Chronicle in 2020.
His marriage to Kat Houlihan brought three sons, John, Joseph and Emmett. At their home in Chicago Heights, the Houlihans had nightly dinners (most of which Tom cooked). They went on countless hikes and camping trips and made numerous trips downtown to explore Chicago. Tom and Kat supported the boys’ musical talents and creative efforts and read to them nightly for years. All three of the boys are now avid hikers and campers. After Kat died unexpectedly of natural causes in 2000, Tom raised his sons on his own. He married Patricia Briske, a former Star reporter, in 2003 and the family moved to Flossmoor, where they flourished in the vibrant, diverse community.
Thomas Arthur Houlihan was born May 10, 1949, to Arthur Houlihan and Mildred Uminger. He grew up in Morgan Park, a neighborhood on the South Side of Chicago. He earned a bachelor of arts in journalism from the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign in 1971 and a master’s degree in special education from the University of Illinois at Chicago.
Tom died on Nov. 23, of natural causes, at his home in Flossmoor. He was preceded in death by his parents as well as his sister, Carol Flynn, and his wife Kat Houlihan. He was the devoted husband of Patty Houlihan and loving father of John (Sarah), Joseph and Emmett, and the dear grandfather of Malcolm, Dahlia and Oscar.
A memorial celebration is being planned for early 2026.
