Tom Goeritz

Pilot. Poet. Preacher. Teacher.

Tom Goeritz grew up in the small southern Minnesota town of Morristown, population 750.  His father owned a grocery store and locker plant, Tom spent many hours helping in the grocery business.  After high school, he attended Mankato State College.  While going to school full time he worked at a lumber yard and bar tended in order to pay for his schooling. He received a degree in Recreation and Park Administration.  He obtained an MBA from St. Thomas in 1984 while once again working full-time. 

For most of his career he has worked in the senior housing field as a VP of Operations.  At the height of his career, he was responsible for over 22 nursing homes, numerous housing projects, 2 hospitals and 2 clinics, exceeding 150 million dollars of operations. 

He has faced adversity; he is a survivor both of cancer and a brain tumor.  He has always loved the outdoors, and hunting and fishing have played a large part in his life from a very early age.  Many of his stories talk about the “duck shack” a special retreat for him.  He often says he is blessed to have so many people he can call a friend. 

Tom has always challenged himself, while attending college he taught himself taxidermy.  Some of his many talents in include being: Private pilot, auctioneer, poet, an instructor at both the U of Minn. and Luther NW Seminary, and a preacher (officiated his two stepdaughters’ weddings and conducted numerous Sunday church services) He has scuba and sky diving, cross country and downhill skies, enjoys playing horseshoe, golf, and boating with the family. 

His personal philosophy is “Attitude is Everything” and endorses the belief that the “joy of life is the trip.”