Thomas Reale of Blythe, California | 1962 - 2019 | Obituary
Thomas Reale
February 6, 1962 - April 9, 2019
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Thomas Anthony Reale passed away April 9, 2019, at Desert Regional Medical Center in Palm Springs after a brief illness. He was 57 years old.
Tom was born in Blythe, California on February 6, 1962, the son of Anthony and Constance Reale. He was born at Palo Verde Hospital under the care of Dr. Mary Cook, and survived despite being born prematurely by more than two full months. As if in full appreciation of the Herculean task his mother and his doctor undertook to keep him alive, he led his life with a zealousness for seizing the moment unrealized by most.
Tom Reale was a son, brother, uncle, mentor, friend, and most importantly, a teacher. As a boy, he attended local schools in the Palo Verde Valley, was active in St. Joan of Arc Church, was a Life Scout, played a myriad of sports, and was a member of Blythe FFA. He was a Varsity Letterman and a proud graduate of the Palo Verde High School class of 1980. He attended and earned a B. S. from the University of California, Davis, and completed a Master’s Degree from the University of Melbourne, in Australia. In the early 90’s he took a position teaching at Clifton Middle School in the Monrovia School District. What started as a job for a year led to a career for a lifetime in which he taught and mentored many, and found home and community in the foothills of Los Angeles. Starting as a middle school science teacher, he soon became a pioneer of technology in the classroom. As he became more adept at weaving computer and video components into his classroom and lessons, his teaching position led to him becoming a full-time video production teacher first at Clifton, and later at Monrovia High School where he taught a full-fledged CTE program in Digital Media Productions. Dozens of graduates went on to careers in newscasting, sports broadcasting, and video production. His classroom walls featured photographs of their many accomplishments, credits, and Emmys, displayed with the pride of a parent. Tom and his students and former students also worked professionally together at sporting events all over the country, including Super Bowls, NBA playoffs, All-Star games, college bowls, golf tournaments, horse races, and the X-games. An extension of his affiliation with the world of media production and television, Tom served for many years as a board member for Community Media of the Foothills, a foundation to support Community Access Television and KGEM.
Tom was very fond of road trips and adventures and would drop everything to chase a desert rainstorm down and enjoy the lightning show, or to sneak away for dinner in Nipomo at Jocko’s or the Turquoise Room in Arizona. In 2017, Tom opted to focus on his health, taking early retirement from education to move back to his boyhood home in his hometown of Blythe, where he resided with his dog Luna until his death. Tom was preceded in death by his parents. He is survived by his brother and sister-in-law, Peter and Helen Reale, niece Alexandra Reale and nephew Anthony P. Reale, all of Los Angeles; sister and brother-in-law, Teresa and Adam Houston, and nephews Adam, Peter and Thomas Houston, all of Blythe; and leaves as his lasting legacy the hearts, minds, and lives of the many students he devoted his career in education to teaching.
Services for Thomas A. Reale will be officiated by Henry Licznerski, at St. Joan of Arc Catholic Church on Saturday, April 13, 2019, with a Rosary at 10:00 AM and a funeral mass at 11:00 AM. If you would like to honor the memory of Tom Reale with a special gesture, the family suggests that you make a gift of support to the Palo Verde High School Yellow Jackets Booster Club in Blythe, or the Monrovia High School Big M Boosters Association in Monrovia, California.