Thomas Rudolph Nuesca, age 82, of Scottsbluff, Nebraska, died at Monument Rehabilitation and Care on January 3, 2022. A memorial service will be held Tuesday, January 11, 2022, at 10:00AM at Mitchell Berean Church. A memorial has been established at Riverstone (First State) Bank under Tom Nuesca Memorial Fund. Online condolences for the family may be left at www.dugankramer.com. Please deliver flowers for the service directly to Mitchell Berean Church.
On July 25, 1939, in Los Angeles California, Tom was born to Albert and Mary (Ballesteros) Nuesca, and they were a musical family. Tom started playing the drums at the age of 14 with his family’s band “The Teardrops.”
In 1962, he was hired to play the drums on the hit “Monster Mash” by Bobby Boris Pickett. While on the road with different bands is when his love for photography began. Black and white photography was his passion. He would turn the bathroom of his hotel rooms on the road into a dark room with the use of an enlarger he found at a pawn shop.
He moved to Gering in 1973, working different jobs until he was hired as the manager of the Photo Department at McCosh Drug, where he worked for 30+ years, touching hundreds of lives and creating lasting friendships.
In 1976, he began teaching photography at Western Nebraska Community College, where many friendships were created through the students and faculty.
He worked in the legal field, taking pictures of crime scenes and doing different types of forensic photography with colleagues, Ray Richards and Jim Lawson (to name a few).
In Tom’s union with Pam, they were blessed with a daughter, Jessica, who was the light of his life. She gave him two grandchildren, which made his heart overflow with love.
In the course of his life, his two oldest daughters, Kimberly and Kem found him, and he was blessed with a third grandchild.
The family would like to thank Western Nebraska Hospice (specifically, nurses, Michelle and Rebecca), Monument Rehab and Care, Regional West Medical Center, and the many doctors and nurses who gave Tom such wonderful care throughout the last few years.
To the many friends and family throughout his life, we thank you for the love you showed him and the support you have given us towards the end. A very special thank you to the Richard Schank family, especially Tiffany (his fourth adopted daughter).
Always remember to capture your memories in Pictures, and when the urge to air drum strikes, “Just do it.”
Survivors include daughters, Kimberly (Anita) Lomas, Kem Nuesca, and Jessica Nuesca; grandchildren, Malayah, Josiah, and Jade; brother, Maurice Nuesca; dog, Marley Bob; and numerous nieces and nephews.
Preceding him in death are his parents; sisters, Connie and Jennie; brothers, Alfred and Louie; and many beloved friends.
