Thomas Nerad
October 18, 2011

Thomas C. Nerad, 64, Green Bay, passed away on Sunday, May 30, 2004 with his wife Judy and daughters Kristin and Tammy by his side. Tom fought a courageous year and a half long battle with lung, liver and bone cancer. He was strong in spirit throughout his struggle with cancer, never complaining and holding out hope for a cure until the very end. Tom was born on February 15, 1940, in Cleveland, Ohio, to Mabel (Kennedy) and the late Elmer Nerad. He grew up in the Cleveland and Bryan, Ohio areas and graduated in 1959 from Bryan High School and from The Defiance College in 1966 with a Bachelor of Science degree. Tom met Judy (Fernstrum) Knutzen on March 3, 1978 and they were united in marriage on April 2, 1988, at The Little Church of the West in Las Vegas. Tom was a sales account representative for 18 years with Quigley Printing/Marathon Communications and most recently at AmeriPrint Graphics in Neenah until his illness forced him to retire in March 2003. Tom attended the First Presbyterian Church in Green Bay. When time allowed, he enjoyed fishing off the dock at Harold's on the Menominee River. He also enjoyed the companionship and loyalty of his many Schnauzers. One of Tom's greatest pleasures in life was watching the Packers play. When presented with several job opportunities in 1967, Tom chose Caterpillar in Green Bay to be near his beloved team. A dream come true for Tom was attending the Packers' Fantasy Camp in 1992 (thank you Chuck) and being able to meet some of the great Packers players. He faithfully watched every game, keeping his own set of statistics just to see how well each player ? his devotion to the game was unparalleled. He is survived by his wife Judy, daughters Kristin (Knutzen) Fleming and her husband Jim, Tammy Knutzen, two children from a previous marriage, Elisa and Marcus, his mother Mabel Nerad, two brothers, Ted (Marcia) Nerad and Patrick Nerad, one sister Dr. Christina Nerad, father-in-law Ben (Rosemary) Fernstrum, sister-in-law Joyce (Phil) Peanosky, two brothers-in-law, Calvin (Sandy) Fernstrum and Gary (Cheryl) Fernstrum, nieces, nephews, and his very dear friend of over 30 years, Lynn (Schroeder) Leuer. Tom was preceded in death by his father, Elmer and his adorable Schnauazers, Fiver, Shadow, Gilda and Whitney. Friends may call from 4 to 8 p.m. Wednesday, June 2, at Lyndahl Funeral Home, Lombardi Ave. at Ridge Rd. Prayer service will be at 7 p.m. Visitation will continue after 10 a.m. Thursday at First Presbyterian Church, 200 South Ashland Ave., where the funeral service will take place at 11 a.m. with the Rev. Dr. Stephen A. Shive and Rev. Gene Crooks officiating. Interment will be in Ft. Howard Memorial Park Cemetery. A very sincere thank you to Dr. Pukel, Dr. Rhode, the nurses and staff of the Vince Lombardi Cancer Clinic. Your care and compassion during Tom's illness was very much appreciated. To the VNA Hospice nurses and delivery personnel, you made a very difficult time much easier to bear. A special heartfelt thank you to Judy's co-workers at Humana and her friends at UHC and AMS for their care and concern during this difficult time. Your overwhelming generosity allowed her six weeks at home with Tom prior to his death. For this gift of time, Judy and her daughters are eternally grateful. To our beloved Tom: You exemplified the true meaning of the word courage during your illness. You taught us that each day is special and to live life one day at a time. Your honesty and integrity were beyond measure. We have 26 years of memories that will carry us through the difficult time ahead. Your presence in our lives will be deeply missed and the ache in our hearts will be long in healing. We hope that the love we shared with you in your final days gave you peace and comfort. May you feel our arms around you forever. Thank you for being such a special part of our lives. With all our love, Judy, Kristin, and Tammy.

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