Editor’s note: These autobiographical pieces and corresponding photos are part of a special edition of 60PLUS featuring local residents who prove that fashion has no age limits. Click here for the full list of featured models.
Tom Tomoser, 79r
I’m a father of five, ranging in age from 3 to 61. The oldest four kids are all college grads and doing well. The oldest is an RN and has a bachelor’s degree; our second child has a CPA/MBA and is director of auditing at Creighton; our third child is a professor of economics and has a master’s degree from Sinclair University; and the fourth is GM of HVAC Co. and has a bachelor’s degree in zoology.
Our baby is the light of our life, being super-cute, talented, and very intelligent.
I am an entrepreneur. I started in meat packing and built a $2.4-million-a-year business from a throwaway beef byproduct, and was the largest supplier of the raw material for Jewish Torah scrolls. Eighty percent of the Torahs at the Wailing Wall in Jerusalem were made from leather materials I supplied. At one time I had 92 percent of that business.
My biggest challenge today is building another million-dollar business to provide for my 37-year-old wife and our 3-year-old daughter. My wife was an on-air radio personality in the Dominican Republic and is an excellent photographer and cinematographer. Lone Eagle Records is our independent record label. To get national attention, I’m working up a pitch in order to get on the TV show Shark Tank. Rosmery T. Videos is our video arm. “Ros” has a channel on YouTube and over 15,000 views. We also have a sales company, selling memberships in a large buying co-op.
I am proud of many events in my life, such as being able to continue living a full, productive life at age 79 and providing for my wife and daughter. As a high school dropout, I am proud of having built a $1 million business. I also placed fifth in “Amateur Night at The Apollo in NYC.” I have become a successful karaoke performer. The Omaha World-Herald printed a big spread on me in December 2010, and CMT ran my videos on-air in 1986.
I always wanted to be a “snappy dresser,” as we said in the 1950s. My mother had six brothers who all stood 5’2” to 5’6.” I stood 5” when I was 10, so I received many expensive hand-me-down dress shirts and ties from them. From age 10 on I was a snappy dresser, as I always wore a shirt, tie, and sweater to school. When I went into the Navy, I bought tailor-made dress blues.
I tell everyone who will listen that I am the happiest man on Earth. I turned my life around when I found God and joined The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. Like the Jewish people keep kosher, which means fit, we of The Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints obey a health law called “The Word Of Wisdom.” Obeying the Word Of Wisdom has contributed to my excellent health, which allows me to work 60-70 hours a week and still have energy to enjoy angels. Most important to health is a positive, can-do attitude. I adopted the attitude of Bobby Layne, who played quarterback in the NFL. Layne once said, “I never really lost a game in my career, sometimes I just ran out of time.”r
This article first appeared in the January/February 2019 edition of 60PLUS in Omaha Magazine. To receive the magazine, click here to subscribe.