Tom Rousseau - A Humble Man Who Made San Leandro A More Kind and Compassionate Community

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I was saddened to learn that San Leandran Tom Rousseau passed away earlier this month. Tom touched everyone he meet. His smile was beautiful. Through his humbleness and warm spirit Tom inspired kindness and compassion in others. 

 My final act as Mayor was honoring Tom with a proclamation, declaring December 31, 2014, as Tom Rousseau Day in San Leandro. I went to the senior home where Tom lived to give him the proclamation. With his caregivers and friends we had a celebration for Tom. 

 Rest in Peace Tom.

 Here is an article on Tom from the San Leandro Times:

 Rousseau Remembered For Cards, Compassion 
By Amy Sylvestri
San Leandro Times, February 21, 2019

 Tom Rousseau, a staple in San Leandro who sold greeting cards from his electric wheelchair, passed away earlier this month at the age of 87. Rousseau had cerebral palsy and could be seen driving down the streets with a sign which read “I sell cards for all occasions.” 

 He was such a well-known figure around town that in 2014, the city made a proclamation declaring Dec. 31 “Tom Rousseau Day.” Rousseau began his greeting card business as a teen in New Bedford, Massachusetts in 1946, selling cards out of a little red wagon. 

 In 1951, Rousseau and his family moved to San Leandro. Rousseau had been an active member of the Church of the Assumption since it was founded and the church installed a special ramp for him long before the Americans with Disabilities Act required it. 

 Former Mayor Stephen Cassidy said Rousseau would drive down his street on his way to Mass and they often visited. “Tom was such a part of the fabric of our community,” said Cassidy. “The thing about him was that he was a very humble and warm person who inspired kindness and compassion in others.” 

 Cassidy only got to know Rousseau as an adult, but Cassidy's’ wife Amy grew up here and fondly remembered Rousseau from her childhood. “My wife told me that the first lessons she received as a child in being a compassionate person were seeing people relate to Tom,” Cassidy said. “Her parents would buy cards from him and other parents would as well and children all across San Leandro would see that. Those kids are now adults raising children of their own, so Tom had a ripple effect across generations of San Leandrans.”

 Rousseau is survived by family including his sister Elaine Benevedes and cousin Madeline Gomes. A memorial Mass will be held at the Church of the Assumption, 1851 136th Avenue, this Friday at 11 a.m.

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