Thomas David “Cohen” Simko, 58, beloved son, brother, uncle and friend died in Las Vegas on January
27, 2021. The son of Robert and Irene Simko, Tom was born in New Brunswick, NJ. He grew up in
Hershey, PA but was a long-time resident of Henderson, NV.
After graduating from Penn State University with a degree in business, he moved to Columbus, OH and
began his career as a sales professional for the hospitality industry. It was there he also met his lifelong
best friends, Mike and Heidi and joined his beloved baseball Strat-O-Matic league.
In the late ‘90s, Tom moved to Las Vegas to further his career. His charm, dedication, and humor proved
a natural fit as he was loved by his clients. Beyond work, Tom enjoyed vacationing in Southern
California, attending baseball Spring Training in Phoenix, thoroughbred handicapping, and hanging out
with close friends. He loved sports, baseball in particular, and joked that he “bled Dodger blue” for his
favorite team, the LA Dodgers.
Tom (“Cohen” to his friends) was a highly gifted writer and published poet. A discerning critic of music
and movies, Tom always had insights to share. He was witty, intelligent, loyal, stubborn, proud and
loving. While he never married or had any children of his own, Tom was a fun uncle and enjoyed
spending time with his nephews and nieces.
Although he came from the east coast, it was in the Las Vegas area that Tom truly found his home. He
made a life for himself there with his friends, who became his second family. In addition to his parents,
Tom is survived by three siblings, Susan Sidler, Robert Simko, Jr. and Nancy Simko. He also is survived by
Mike Doran and Heidi Gorsuch of Henderson, Nevada, close friends for 33 wonderful years.
During his last few years Tom struggled with many chronic health issues, which ultimately cost him his
life. He will be terribly missed by his family and friends. Those who wish to remember Tom are asked to
make a donation to CHEMOWARRIOR: the eli sidler foundation (www.chemowarrior.org), which raises
money for pediatric cancer research in memory of his nephew.
5 Responses
My condolences to the entire Simko family!
I knew Tom for 30 years. He was a great guy and we will miss him dearly.
Tommy and I were closer than brothers. He was a great friend. He had a fantastic wit and what I appreciated the most was his sense of decency. You could always count on him to do the right thing. You didn`t have to protect your back when Tommy was around. He had you covered We had a great deal of adventures during our 33 years of friendship and I`ll treasure the fun and laughs we had along the way forever.
Love you always!
I met Tom “Cohen” in Columbus Ohio thru a mutual friend. Right away I knew he was just “OUR KIND OF GUY” – I knew he was cool the minute he said he loved the movie “Birdy” and knew who Mathew Modine was. He was truly a “WORD MAN” and he knew how to use them. In common we shared movies, music, poetry, trivia, sports, foosball, great conversations and just some just plain weirdness. He had an intellectual prowess for the strange and different, he had a special gift to figure you out and he recognized the power and beauty in the written word. His mind was deep, his wit was sharp and he was unique and too say the least … I know this … I’ll never forget him !!!