Tom Jolls, the affable weatherman on the legendary WKBW-TV (Channel 7) anchor team alongside news anchor Irv Weinstein and sports director Rick Azar that dominated local news for decades, died Wednesday in Buffalo Hospice in Cheektowaga. He was 89.
Jolls was the last of the legendary trio to retire and the only one who stayed in Western New York after exiting television, even after he briefly lived in Florida.
Weinstein died in 2017 and Azar in 2021.
The Jolls family released a statement Wednesday.
“As a family, we could not be any prouder than we are of his illustrious television career. Better yet, he was an even better family man. His brief illness was a blessing, as he did not suffer much and passed away with all his family by his bedside,” the statement read.
“He was a very shy and private man off the air and, as such, we will celebrate his life with a private, family-only service. He will always be our commander. To all his family, friends and fans, he would hope you all make your lives salubrious,” the statement continued.
Jolls was almost as well-known for playing Commander Tom on a kids program that premiered in 1965 and ran until 1991. It carried cartoons and featured puppets, including the popular dog named Dustmop and the alligator puppet Matty the Mod.
Jolls showed his grandchildren videos of the program that many Western New Yorkers grew up watching.
“The real young ones can’t quite comprehend that Grandpa was on TV on a regular basis,” said Jolls in a 2014 interview.
Someday they undoubtedly will learn that their grandfather was a TV treasure who commanded a huge local following while using the word “salubrious” to describe a pleasant or delightful day.
“Tom Jolls was exactly the man you saw on camera, gentle, considerate and his delivery was as smooth as silk,” said Bob Koshinski, a former Channel 7 sports director. “Tom’s childhood ambition was to be on the radio, but he didn’t stop there. Tom’s ability to reach…
Read the full article here
Leave a Reply