Thomas “Tommy D” Derezinski

SCOTTSDALE – Thomas (Tommy D) Derezinski passed on July 17, 2017 in Scottsdale, Arizona after a long fight with cancer.

Tom was born in Chicago, Illinois on February 25, 1959, the youngest son of Leonard and Virginia Derezinski.

Tom grew up on the south side of Chicago. He attended grammar school at St Michael’s, where he made life long friends, whom he cherished until his death. In 1977 he graduated from St Francis de Sales high school. A lover of sports, Tom was on the swim team, played water polo and football in high school. The highlight of his high school football career was participating in the Chicago League Championships, on the defensive line, at Soldiers Field Stadium. Tom earned both an academic and a football scholarship. He applied the academic scholarship to his studies at Southern Illinois University, Carbondale.

Tom’s love of sports included a passion for rugby. He began playing in high school, when his brother, Joe, invited him to play with the rugby team at Western Illinois University. Tom was hooked. He continued to play rugby with the SIU rugby club, Windy City Nomads, Scottsdale Blues, Old Southwest and many other clubs.

Tom combined his passion for rugby with his excitement to explore the world. He went on several rugby tours that allowed him to play in England, Scotland, Wales, Ireland, France, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Mexico, Cuba, Argentina and Chile. Tom made sure he was in Brazil for the 2016 Olympics when rugby was reinstated as an Olympic sport. He ended his rugby career by leaving his boots on the pitch in Cuba, like any warrior would.

Tom was a fervent runner, competing in many 10K’s and half marathons. He completed the Chicago marathon in 1977.

He was an enthusiastic outdoorsman, loving camping, hiking, fishing and hunting. He was a pilot and a sailor. He helped crew a sailboat in Fiji and did a solo sail from Long Beach to Catalina.

In 2007 Tom retired as Director of Retail Construction at Adolfson and Peterson Construction. Shortly thereafter, he consulted for Vista Construction prior to fulfilling his dream of retiring before age 50.

Tom is survived by his wife, Kathryn, brother Joe (Lisa), nephew Paul, and nieces Becca and Eme.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Scottsdale Blues Rugby Club at www.scottsdalerugby.com.

A celebration of Tommy’s life will be held at 3:00 pm on Thursday, August 8, 2019 at The Watershed, 5350 S Lakeshore Drive, Tempe, AZ

“Life should not be a journey to the grave with the intention of arriving safely, in a pretty and well-preserved body, but rather to skid in broadside in a cloud of smoke, thoroughly used up, totally worn out, and proclaiming ‘Wow! What a Ride’”

-Hunter S Thompson