Thomas "Tom" Herzog

Thomas “Tom” Joseph Herzog, 78, of Green Bay passed away Wednesday, February 10, 2016 at St. Vincent’s Hospital surrounded by family. Known for his generous spirit, his colorful stories, and his tough work ethic, “Big T will be missed by many. Tom was born on March 20, 1937 in Manitowoc, WI, the fifth child of the late Reinhart and Ella (Mulloy) Herzog. He graduated from Lincoln High School, where he earned nine varsity letters, and was a regularly featured athlete in the Manitowoc Herald Times Reporter. From 1955-1956, Tom attended the University of Kansas, where he played football and basketball before leaving college to sign with the Milwaukee Braves' baseball organization. In the late 1950s, he attended the Milwaukee School of Engineering. Tom married his high school sweetheart Margaret (Marge) Fronk on September 17, 1960. The couple spent many happy years in Milwaukee living along Lake Michigan before moving in 1971 to Green Bay, where they raised their four children. They were married for 55 years. Tom worked as a brakeman and conductor for the Chicago Northwestern Railroad, and Union Pacific Railroad, and served as local Union Chairman for the United Transportation Union. Tom worked forty years, logging thousands of rail miles for these two companies. In retirement, he ran Herzog Landscape, performing lawn maintenance and snow removal in his favored denim shirts. He also hired neighborhood kids to work alongside his children in picking raspberries for area grocery stores from the garden he and Marge kept in their backyard. More recently, he developed an interest in antiques and was a regular at local auctions. Tom was honored in 2001 as an inductee into Wisconsin’s Lakeshore All Sports Hall of Fame. He was grateful for the many supportive coaches who helped him along the way and the opportunities that sports brought him. He was a baseball coach in Allouez as well as a beloved basketball coach to his sons and other boys at St. Matthew’s Catholic School during the 1980’s, frequently treating his players to chocolate malts at the old Allouez Drug Store. In addition to wife, Marge, and sister, Kathy Bundy, children Susan (Matthew Schueler), Thomas (Carrie), Joseph, and Kathryn (Michael John Carley); he is also survived by eight grandchildren; Anna, Nicole, William, Claire, Eric, Joe, Ella, and Bo. Tom is preceded in death by his parents, his brothers, Reinhart and Robert, his sister, Patricia and his grandson, Henry Thomas Schueler. Visitation will take place Sunday, February 14, 2016 from 5-8 p.m. at Cotter Funeral Home in DePere. Fr. Bill O’Brien will lead a wake service at 7:00 p.m. Final visitation on Monday, February 15, 2016 from 9:30 - 10:30 a.m. at the funeral home. A procession will leave the funeral home at 10:45 a.m. with a Mass of Christian Burial at 11:00 a.m. at St. Francis Xavier Cathedral in Green Bay with Rev. Joseph Dorner officiating. Burial will take place at Allouez Catholic Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials are welcomed at the Henry Schueler 419 Foundation, providing funding for leading edge research in the field of pediatric high risk leukemia. Visit www.henryschueler.org.