Thomas Anthony Palcher, born and raised in Kansas City, Kansas, and long-time resident of Shawnee, KS, passed into eternity on Saturday, June 6, 2026. During his sudden and brief illness, he was visited and prayed for by his extended family at his hospital bedside, and he captured the hearts of the medical professionals who took care of him. Visitation will begin at 10:00 AM Saturday, June 13, at Blessed Sacrament Church, 2203 Parallel Ave, Kansas City, KS 66104. A rosary will be prayed at 11:00 AM, and the funeral Mass will begin at 11:30 AM. Burial will be at the Leavenworth National Cemetery at 150 Muncie Rd., Leavenworth, KS 66048, at 11:00 AM on Thursday, June 18.
Tom was born on May 30, 1946, at St. Margaret Hospital – the second of 10 children of the late Willie Palcher and Nancy (Cotitta) Palcher to be born there, at the beginning of the post-WWII baby boom. He was a great little brother to his big brother Bill and a loving big brother, himself, to their eight younger sisters who joined the family over the next 17 years. A life-long bachelor, himself, he had a special relationship with his many nieces and nephews, who enjoyed his humor and felt how much he cared for each of them individually. After his father’s death at the age of 72, he shared a house with his mother and became her primary caregiver during her final years until her peaceful death in his home at the age of 90.
A true Kansan, Tom lived his whole life in Wyandotte and Johnson counties, except for his six years in the Navy. He was an altar server as a boy, often being called on to serve Mass at Blessed Sacrament Church, just one block from the family home. Even on his last healthy day, enjoying time with family at our annual Memorial Day picnic, he repeated his claim that he could still remember the Latin responses he learned in his childhood, and the priest’s Latin phrases, too! As an 8th grader at Blessed Sacrament Grade School, he won the Wyandotte County Spelling Bee. He was an excellent scholar at Bishop Ward High School, and went on to earn a Bachelor of Science degree in physics at Rockhurst College.
After his college graduation in 1968, knowing he was likely to be drafted immediately, he instead enlisted in the Navy for six years, spending the first three being educated in electronics, including at the U.S. Naval Academy in Annapolis, before being sent to a military base on the island Diego Garcia in the Indian Ocean. He had the opportunity to travel to various nearby countries, such as Greece and Indonesia, when on leave. Interestingly, although he was a sailor for six years, he was never aboard a ship, always flying to and from Diego Garcia. After his military years, he built a career using his Navy education in electronics and repaired all types of electronic equipment, from cash registers to huge mainframe computers.
While Tom shared a home with his mother and eventually his elder brother Bill, he hosted frequent family get-togethers. He had a ping-pong table and foosball table in the basement and many board and card games, and was always ready to go outside and toss a football or play catch. Holidays were always full of love and laughter. The annual Easter egg hunts in the backyard were epic, as well as the white elephant gift exchanges on Christmas Eve.
Brothers Tom and Bill, separated in age by only three years and followed by eight younger sisters, enjoyed a close relationship and shared an apartment or house for more than fifty years of their lives. Tom loved all of his sisters and tried his best to find eight unique “sister” birthday cards each year – quite a challenge! He had a quick wit, enjoyed puns, and had a playful sense of humor that was never sarcastic or mean.
Tom loved sports, both playing them and watching them. Baseball and bowling were two of his favorites to play, and he spent years bowling in leagues with his brother Bill. He was a Royals and Chiefs fan, but he could tell them a thing or two when they messed up on the field! Although he never used swear words, he found a way to chew them out.
A lifelong faithful Catholic, Tom never missed Sunday or holy day Masses, until his last couple of years when his health was declining and he didn’t trust himself driving far or being away from home too long. He was a member of Blessed Sacrament Parish from the time his family moved into a house built by his Grandpa Cotitta within an easy walking distance of the church and the parish school when he was six years old, and remained a member until his death, even though he hadn’t lived within the parish boundaries for decades. He loved God and lived a life in accord with the teachings of Jesus Christ.
Although Tom’s physical heart finally wore out, 25 years after his major heart attack, we feel his love still wrapped around us. Loving son, brother, uncle, grandson, nephew, and cousin – those family relationships defined who Tom was, and he will be sorely missed by all of his family that he leaves behind, including his brother, Bill Palcher, and his sisters and their spouses, Nancy Cariglio, Joan Palcher, Gloria Davison (Van), Mary Yeatman (Larry), Margie Stump (Bill), and Rose Phillips (Russ). He is also survived by his brothers-in-law, Mark Kern and Al Strayhall. Impossible to list are his many nieces and nephews, but we recognize their great loss from the death of their dear Uncle Tom.
In death, Tom rejoins those who went before him, especially his dad, Willie, his mom, Nancy, and his little sisters Annie Kern and Sharon Strayhall. We pray that his reunion with them will be soon and joyful.
Charitable contributions in Tom’s memory may be made to Blessed Sacrament Parish, 2203 Parallel Avenue, Kansas City, KS 66104, particularly for capital improvements or to offer a Mass intention for Tom Palcher.
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