Thomas M. Locher

Thomas Martin Locher died Sunday, October 8, 2023, at the age of 71.

Tom was born March 16, 1952 to Esther (Hawkins) and Simon Locher in Monticello, Iowa, and joined four siblings, Margaret, Louise, James, and Stephen. He attended Sacred Heart Catholic School and Monticello High School where he graduated in 1970. He was a proud member of the Boy Scouts and earned the highest rank of Eagle Scout.

Tom then attended Creighton University where he became a lifelong Sigma Alpha Epsilon and Creighton Bluejays basketball fan. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts in English in 1974. He returned to Creighton University School of Law where he graduated with a Juris Doctor degree in 1978.

In 1984, Tom married Joni (Zich). They welcomed children, Amy, Esther, and Nathan. Tom tirelessly supported his children in their academic and athletic activities, including coaching their youth basketball teams.

Following graduation from law school, Tom began his legal career in Omaha, Nebraska, which led to the formation of Hansen, Engles, & Locher, P.C. In 1999, Tom started a new firm, Locher Cellilli Pavelka & Dostal, LLC, which at the time was the first law firm to be organized as a Nebraska limited liability company. Today, that firm is Locher Pavelka Dostal Braddy & Hammes, LLC, a general practice civil litigation law firm, where Tom would practice full time until 2022 when he moved towards retirement.

Tom was widely recognized as a skilled and experienced trial attorney. He tried numerous jury trials to verdict, bench trials, and arbitrations all over Iowa and Nebraska. He argued well over sixty appeals in the Nebraska Supreme Court, Nebraska Court of Appeals, Iowa Supreme Court, Iowa Court of Appeals, and the United States Court of Appeals for the Eighth Circuit, including many important cases that shape Nebraska and Iowa law as we know it today. Throughout his career, he received numerous awards and professional recognition for his trial skills and abilities, his honesty and high ethics, and his unquestioned advocacy for his clients, all delivered in his gentlemanly manner. He was actively involved in many professional organizations, including The Nebraska Bar Foundation, American College of Trial Lawyers, the American Board of Trial Advocates, and the Nebraska Bar Association Client Assistance Fund. Tom valued the relationships he developed serving as trusted legal counsel for individuals and businesses in banking and finance, insurance, construction, and admiralty and maritime over the course of his 45-year career. He mentored numerous younger lawyers and his legacy will live on in the legal community.

Tom also enjoyed traveling, reading, working outside, canoeing, singing in the church choir, and archaeological excavation. He loved spending time with his family. He cherished his role as “Grandad” to three grandsons and taught them a great deal in a very short time. Tom had an incredible and vast knowledge on a wide variety of topics, including the law, sports, history, religion, and nature, and loved spending time discussing and sharing his knowledge with others.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Esther (Hawkins) and Simon Locher; infant sons, Zachary and John; brother Stephen Locher, and brother-in-law Jay Welch.

He is survived by his wife of 39 years, Joni; sisters, Margaret Welch and Louise Lankau (Ron); brother James Locher (Charlotte); sister-in-law, Annie Locher; daughters, Amy Locher (Brian Lueke) and Esther Paine (Andrew); son, Nathan Locher; beloved grandsons, Sidney Paine, Louis Paine, and Axel Lueke; nieces and nephews; and great-nieces and great-nephews.

MASS OF CHRISTIAN BURIAL Monday, October 23, 2023, 10:00am at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church. Visitation 9:00-10:00 a.m., with interment at Forest Lawn Cemetery. 

VISITATION with the family begins Sunday, October 22, 2023, at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church after 3:00pm with a WAKE SERVICE at 5:00pm. 

In lieu of flowers, the family prefers memorials to St. Philip Neri Catholic Church or the charity of the donor's choice.