Obituary of Thomas Edward Rolly

Thomas Edward Rolly died unexpectedly at his home on Monday, February 7, 2022 at the age of 77 years. Tom was born in Nashville, Tennessee on June 6, 1944. During his childhood, Tom’s parents, George Anthony Rolly and Katherine Yvonne Rolly, and their children, lived abroad. His father worked for Caltex Petroleum Corporation for over 18 years, and was stationed in various cities in India and in Colombo, Sri Lanka. In 1951, Tom made the newspapers in New York traveling at age 6 from Sri Lanka to stay with his grandparents, George Andrew Rolly and Carolyn Rolly on Long Island, NY and again traveled back at age 11 from India after a holiday with his family. He attended Stonyhurst Boarding School in Lancashire, England for one year, then returned to Long Island, NY to attend school. Tom then completed his primary/secondary education at Mount Assumption Institute, a boarding school in Plattsburg, NY. In 1965, Tom enlisted in the Unites States Air Force and was stationed on Johnston Island Airbase during the Vietnam War. After completing his military service, Tom earned his bachelors degree from Dowling College, Oakdale, NY in 1972. In 1973, Tom moved from New York State to the San Francisco Bay Area. He immediately fell in love with the Santa Cruz Mountains, which he discovered while riding his Norton motorcycle on weekends. In 1975, he moved to Boulder Creek, CA, where he lived for 42 years. In 1986, Tom married his wife, Margaret (Peggy), and they were blessed with the birth of their daughter Katherine in 1987. They resided in Boulder Creek, CA until 2017, when they moved to Hollister, CA to be near their daughter and her family. Tom had a successful 30 year career in the semi-conductor industry, retiring as a General Manager in 2003. Tom loved gardening, the mountains, the ocean, anything car related (car shows, car races, car club events, car shopping, etc), motorcycles, flying model airplanes, and spending time with his loving family and many dear friends. Tom is survived by his wife, Margaret, his daughter, Katherine Moreno (Alonso) and his two beautiful grandchildren who reside in Hollister, CA. He is also survived by his sister, Jaqueline Yvonne Rolly (John Brock) who lives in Oviedo, Florida.. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Katherine Yvonne Rolly and George Anthony Rolly, and his brother, Stephen Anthony Rolly. The family is planning a private service to honor him. Memorial donations may be made to the Sempervirens Fund at https://sempervirens.org