Thomas M. "Mike" Gaherty

Thomas M. (Mike) Gaherty was born in Storm Lake, Iowa, in 1940. He grew up on a farm near Storm Lake surrounded by a close-knit extended family of aunts, uncles, and cousins. He attended school at St. Mary’s in Storm Lake where he met the love of his life Ellen Wood whom he married in 1962 after graduation from Creighton University.

Mike taught for 32 1/2 years at Central High School in Omaha, Nebraska. During those 32 years he taught English, creative writing, journalism, and served as adviser for the school newspaper, the Register, and the school yearbook, the O-Book. One of his personal joys as a teacher was having his daughter, Heather, and son, Timothy, in his journalism class and on his yearbook and newspaper staff. After retirement (or graduation as Mike preferred to call it), he tried his hand at creative writing, turning out six novels, four of which were published by Avalon Press. During those retirement years he and Ellen enjoyed extensive world travel, often with good friends Kay and Bob McMeen.

Early in retirement he volunteered for Radio Talking Book and found much enjoyment in reading fiction and non-fiction over the radio for blind listeners. He spent many years reading the Monday morning newspaper, the Lincoln Journal-Star, to those listeners.

He loved golf having been introduced to it in high school by Ellen who loved to challenge him whenever the chance presented itself. He played regularly in a foursome of retired teachers.

During his teaching career he received a handful of honors of note. He was the recipient of the Alice Buffett Outstanding Teacher Award in 1989. He received the Lifetime Achievement Award from the UNO Department of Communication in 1995. He received the Gunnar Horn journalism adviser award from Creighton University in 1987 and 1996. In 2015 he was inducted into the Central High School Hall of Fame as a Distinguished Educator.

Mike is preceded in death by his parents Thomas and Margaret, twin daughters Michele and Lisa, sister Helen (Mertz), brother Joseph, and a host of aunts and uncles so important to his early life.

He is survived by wife Ellen Gaherty, daughter Heather (Mark) Shelton, Michigan, son Timothy (Jeffrey Enejosa), Illinois, grandson Thomas James (TJ) Shelton, and numerous nieces and nephews.