Thomas Clay Prescher, 61, of Bloomington died at his home on Friday (June 6, 2008) surrounded by his wife and family.

His funeral will be at 10 a.m. Wednesday at Good Shepherd Lutheran Church, 3516 White Eagle Drive, Bloomington. Cremation rites will be accorded. Friends are invited to join the family for a visitation from 4 to 8 p.m. Tuesday at Kibler-Smith Memorial Home, 1104 N. Main St., Bloomington.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you support the Good Shepherd Lutheran Church Tuition Assistance Fund in Tom's memory.

Tom was born March 8, 1947, in Bloomington to George and Jean Dooley Prescher.

He had a lifelong love of sports, lettering in wrestling, football and golf at Bloomington High School. Among many athletic awards, Tom's golf team won the Illinois state championship in 1965.

He attended Illinois Wesleyan University and was a veteran of the Illinois National Guard.

Tom and Martha Jeannine Hanner met in high school and later began dating. On Sept. 9, 1967, they were married. She was his support and partner. Together they built a home, enjoyed life and raised four children.

Tom began work as a clothing buyer for Bachrachs. An entrepreneur at heart, he then opened Dooley's Ltd., a men's clothing store he named after his grandfather, friend and mentor, Clay Dooley. He kept the men of Central Illinois well-dressed for 15 years before hanging up his measuring tape to begin his final career in real estate at Coldwell Banker.

He shared his love and knowledge of golf as head coach of the Central Catholic High School boys' golf team. He cared about the success and education of his players and helped them reach the state tournament in 2007.

In his honor, friends created a scholarship fund in his name to benefit the students of Central Catholic High School.

Tom is survived by his wife, Martha; his four children, Christopher Prescher (Jim Misener), Erin (Mike) Sands, Mandy Prescher and Rhett Prescher; his mother, Jean Prescher; three brothers, Rick (Cindy) Prescher, Terry (Judy) Prescher and Randy Prescher.

He was preceded in death by his father George Prescher and his grandfather, Clay Dooley.

Near the end, Tom and his family received many extraordinary expressions of love and support from friends and colleagues for which they are deeply grateful.

It was said recently by a good friend that you can tell how many friends someone has by how many nicknames they receive. Tom was fortunate enough to be known by many nicknames: Little Tommy, LT, Ta Ta, Chuckles, Golden Boy, Juice and the list goes on.

He loved to golf, laugh, talk politics and spend time with friends and his family. He valued his friendships and was known for his integrity, humor and generous spirit.

He was loved to the end and will always be remembered with laughter and smiles.

The Prescher family extends its deepest gratitude to Dr. Patrick Gomez for his guidance, caring and friendship during this difficult time and the staff of the Cancer Care Center of Bloomington and BroMenn Hospice for all they do for those who are suffering from cancer.