Tom Ragghianti September 22, 1953- December 4th, 2020

Tom Ragghianti, age 68, of Newport, OR passed away peacefully on December 4th, 2020 at Samaritan Evergreen Hospice House in Albany, OR. Born in Newport, on September 22, 1953, he was the son of Liota Ragghianti. Tom grew up in the Nye Beach area with his mother Liota, his Aunt Jo and his grandparents. For those who knew him back then, they say (politely), he was a hand full. A graduate of Newport High School and Oregon State University, Tom went on to become a talented accountant with his own practice for over 40 years. His skill and creativity created a high demand for his services. For 15 years Tom co-owned and operated Oregon Oyster Farm along with his partners. Tom was a member of the Board of Newport Pacific Corporation, part of the Mo’s family of restaurants. His 20 years of accounting and advisory with Mo’s were vital to the success of Newport Pacific and Mo’s. Tom had a standing 9:30 a.m. meeting at the Newport Pacific office for 20 years to discuss daily business and enjoy a cup of coffee.

Tom had a large circle of friends with which he enjoyed many of life’s adventures. These adventures included traveling the world, hunting waterfowl and big game, fishing for Kokanee, watching Nascar and sports, and riding his Harley Davidson motorcycle. His annual weeklong motorcycle trips to Mexico with friends were memorable for all. Surprisingly to Tom, he was the lead race car driver of Ragghainti Racing and led a contingent of 20 friends uniformed in red checkered flag collared shirts to Petty Racing in Las Vegas, where he learned to drive a 600-horsepower race car. He was up for adventure but loved nothing more than watching sports and supporting the local Newport Cubs. In high school he was an accomplished baseball player and later in life took on an assistant coaching job for Newport Girls Softball helping them reach the State finals. Tom was a lifelong donor and generous member of the Newport Boosters Club. He was instrumental in the spring and fall auctions, fundraising, and the creation of Newport High Cubs - Michael “Spike” Jones Wrestling facility.

One of Tom’s joys in life was his affection for his other family members. Some might call them pets, but they were more than that to him. His last three loves were, Lucy, a chocolate lab; Abbey, a yellow lab and his most recent, Shadow, a Border Collie rescue dog from the Texas hurricanes.

Tom is preceded in death by his mother Liota, his aunt Jo and his grandparents. He was survived by his loving family of friends, some of whom are lucky enough to call him Uncle Tom, and his dog Shadow.

Tom would have wanted nothing more than to see an outpouring of love via generous donations to the Newport Booster Club in lieu of flowers.  

Due to Covid and Kate Brown, a memorial gathering will take place in the future.