Tom Tarnow

life story

"Oh Great One of Infinite Wisdom"

this was Tom's response when asked what he wanted his grandpa name to be... he had an enormous personality.

About Tom

Thomas Parry Tarnow, born January 29th, 1962 to Janet Lee Parry and Herman Elmer Tarnow, was known as Tom to everyone but his mother and telemarketers. Tom was born in South Bend, Indiana and grew up there and in Davenport, Iowa. He graduated from Central High School in Davenport, and went on to get his bachelor's degree in English and art (photography) from the University of Iowa.

Tom spent many hours going to antique auctions with his grandparents, and while at the University in Iowa City, Tom took a mirror in to be resilvered. He ended up apprenticing with the man who silvered that mirror, and launched the side business he would continue through his life: Alchemy Mirror Resilvering.

After college, Tom moved to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where he met his future wife, Megan Genest, while working as a baker at The Upper Crust, Ltd.

They moved to Osaka, Japan in 1988, returning to get married at Tom's grandparents' cottage on the Tippecanoe River a year later, before resuming their time overseas. During their time there, they both taught English and Tom attended an atelier to make jewelry. Their oldest son, Keefe, was born in Japan in 1991, leading the family to return to Minnesota a year later.

Back in the States, Tom became engaged in nonprofit fundraising, which he would do for the rest of his career. He was proud to use his skills to support many local organizations.

In 1995, Tom would embark on another of his life-long journeys when he and Megan bought the duplex they'd been renting at 1766-68 Laurel Avenue in Saint Paul, MN. Tom and his family spent countless hours restoring and improving the home they shared with numerous tenants over the 30+ years they have lived there. Tom made significant improvements to the house, bringing both artistic vision and attention to detail. Megan used to say that Tom believed he could never die while he still had projects to complete on the house; this turned out to be false.

Tom loved music, playing in rock bands in his youth and sharing his favorite music with his family and friends. In the last several years, he and his long time friend Doug Heeschen formed "The Best Meds," performing original music in clubs around the Twin Cities.

While Tom's light went out much too soon, he burned brightly and lit the world for everyone around him.

Tom is survived by his wife Megan, his sons Keefe (Mackenzie), Shea (Vanessa), and Caden, his grandchildren Llewyn, Milo, Rhedyn, and Hugo, his brothers, Mark (Kerri) and Matthew (Kesha), and his nephews Andrew, Adam, Joe, and Dan.

memorial service

Celebration of Life

November 28, 2025

Norseman Distillery 451 Taft St NE, Minneapolis, MN 55413, USA

Doors open at 4:00 PM, program will start around 5:15. We will be partying into the night, as Tom would have.