Thomas M. Seger

Thomas Michael Seger, 78, passed away on August 3, 2025, following a short illness that he fought with courage and dignity. He spent his last days surrounded by family and friends, especially his wife and daughters.

Tom was preceded in death by his loving parents, Leonard and Martha Seger. He is survived by his beloved wife, Paula (nee Friedman), and his devoted daughters, Emily Seger and Julie Seger, of New York, NY and Washington, DC, his sister Judy Massey (Jim), nephews Ryan Ingram (Alecia) and Jared Ingram, brother-in-law Bruce Scarpa-Friedman (Angela), nieces and nephews Emilia, Hugh, Sal, and Dan Scarpa-Friedman, and sister-in-law Beth Friedman-Romell (Frederick) and nephews Steven and Harlan Friedman-Romell.

A graduate of Cleveland Heights High School, Miami U. (OH), and Harvard Law School, Tom practiced law for his entire 50-year career with Cleveland’s Baker Hostetler law firm, starting as a messenger before he even set foot in law school and eventually becoming a partner and head of the firm’s Hiring Committee for many years. His expertise was in the area of labor law and labor relations, and he handled all manner of collective bargaining issues, arbitrations, affirmative action plans, whistleblower claims, and organizational drives. He thoroughly enjoyed being involved on behalf of Major League Baseball in the first several years of salary arbitration cases. Of course, the best thing about his practice was that he met and eventually married Paula, his fellow partner in the firm’s labor group.

While Tom brought a fierce intellect to his practice, he also employed his good natured, self-deprecating sense of humor to great effect, keeping often contentious labor issues from escalating into angry confrontations. He so loved and missed the practice of law that following his retirement, Tom trained to become an arbitrator, judging a number of arbitrable disputes during his final years.

Outside of his life at the firm, Tom was an avid outdoorsman; he loved tennis, skiing, nature, and fishing. He especially loved fishing on Lake Erie and Canadian lakes with his mother, father, and sister, later bringing along his daughters, friends, and his many fellow fishermen buddies. For many years, Tom rode long-distance bike courses with his daughter Julie and other friends and relatives. He and Paula traveled extensively, usually with friends and former colleagues. Every October, for nearly 30 years, they visited Hilton Head, SC, alongside his sister and her husband for a week of golf, tennis, and heated pinochle tournaments. A true hobbyist, Tom was an enthusiastic stamp collector, spending countless hours combing through boxes of mostly worthless stamps to surface the one or two prime collectibles needed to fill out his 20+ volumes of carefully-curated stamps.

More important than any of these things to those closest to Tom was his love and dedication to Paula, his unwavering commitment to his daughters and family, and his support of colleagues at the firm through both good times and difficulties. Tom wanted everyone to succeed in her own way, and never hesitated to do whatever he could to help make that happen.

Private Interment at Acacia Memorial Park. Family and friends are invited to meet for Funeral Services 12 noon Friday at the Church of the Western Reserve, 30500 Fairmount Blvd, Pepper Pike, OH 44124. Friends may call at MAHER-MELBOURNE FUNERAL HOME, 5236 MAYFIELD RD, LYNDHURST (E OF RICHMOND RD) 3-7 PM THURSDAY.

In lieu of flowers, contributions in Tom's honor may be made to: Miami University or the National Park Foundation.