Tommy Roy, 96, passed away on June 1, 2017 at Tendercare of Ludington.
He was born in Milwaukee, WI in 1921 and grew up there. Tommy Roy graduated from High School in Milwaukee.
He is survived by several nieces, nephews, and cousin throughout the country, but the dearest to him were Gale and Janet Tyndall of Victory Township and Michael Baerwolf of Ludington.
He was preceded in death by his mother, father, step-mother, two brothers, two sisters, five aunts and five uncles.
His career was in show business. Shortly after high school, he toured with a unit of the one-time WLS National Barn Dance out of Chicago.
He was highly respected Publicity, Promotion and Public Relations representative for some of the greatest names in entertainment. His work with big bands started at the former Fruitport Pavilion, where we was publicity and promotion manager for the big name bands.
He hosted several concerts, including one with Count Basie at the former Michigan Theater in Muskegon – now the Fraventhal Center for the Performing Arts.
The Tommy Roy Era with the “Idlewild Revue” was from the late 50’s to the mid 60’s. Tommy Roy was also selected by the ABC Radio Network to do the announcing on the Saturday Night Broadcasts that were emanating from the Paradise Club in Idlewild and heard on almost 300 stations Coast-to-Coast. When the show was destroyed by a fire in South Boston while on tour in winter of 1964, he went for singer Dinah Washington.
After three years with her (she died) he moved to New York to operate the office for the Rock-Roll-Blues singer, Lloyd Price and his exciting Big Band.
Tommy Roy served in the Army Air Force, which later, while he was still in the service, became a separate branch known as the United States Air Force. He was honorably discharged in October of 1945 at Chanute Field in Illinois. He served as a radio operator in the Asiatic-Pacific campaigns of Guadalcanal, the Solomon Islands, New Guinea, Australia and other ports. He was discharged with an award for Meritorious Service to his Country.
After WWII, he returned to Milwaukee, and then first came to Ludington to visit an Aunt and decided to stay when a job opened at a local theater.
He moved to New York in 1958 and moved back to Ludington in 2003 and worked at WKLA. His music shows on the radio were among the most loved programs ever in the area, with many, many fans.
In 1999, Tommy Roy got world-wide recognition in “Radio World” Magazine, which is distributed to radio and television stations throughout the world! Prior to that, he had been cited as a top three sportscaster in the State of Michigan.
He retired at the age of 91 on the morning of Christmas Eve in 2012, after his last show on WKLA. The curtain “has come down” after 61 years in show business.
Tommy Roy has been cremated. Per Tommy’s request, no services will be planned. Arrangements were entrusted to Oak Grove Funeral Home & Cremation Center.
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