2025 David Henderson Memorial Award Recipient: Thomas Tyrrell
The 2025 David Henderson Memorial Award Winner is Thomas N. Tyrrell. To watch a video congratulating Tom on being this year’s honoree, go to https://youtu.be/SuoG5JKSpGc
Tom Tyrrell was first introduced to Joseph & Mary’s Home by former Sister of Charity Health System president and CEO Tom Strauss. After attending a few Perseverance in Hope luncheons, as well as touring Mary’s Home just after it opened in 2022, Tom and his wife Diane became benefactors. They recognized the culture of happiness and caring at Joseph & Mary’s Home and wanted to ensure the high quality of care provided continued.
Tom quickly became more involved at Joseph & Mary’s Home. This resulted in him being the chair for the most recent “A New Home for Healing” capital campaign. Under Tom’s direction, “A New Home for Healing” surpassed its goal and raised over $3 million. These contributions made the Joseph’s Home relocation and renovation possible.
Additionally, money raised also went toward operating expenses and the Sr. Joan Gallagher, CSA, Endowment Fund. With a life-long focus on addressing the social determinants of health and caring for the whole person, Tom not only chaired the campaign, but also donated in support of it.
After serving as CEO for multiple steel companies and helping found several local companies, Tom pivoted to the nonprofit world. He co-founded Great Lakes Biomimicry Institute, a nonprofit that works with businesses and educators to explore how engineering problems can be solved by copying systems already at work in nature.
Now, Tom is working to make Northeast Ohio a national model for how to incorporate nature into kids’ education, and how to use it to make their home environments better to address behavioral and other health issues through a new nonprofit called CollaboRx.
Tom received a bachelor’s degree in liberal arts from Elmhurst College and an honorary doctoral degree in legal studies from Baldwin-Wallace College. He and Diane have three children.
About the David Henderson Memorial Award
David Henderson was an alumni and board member of Joseph’s Home. As a board member, David was very passionate about support for our mission, shared his story often and was driven to spread awareness of Joseph’s Home any way he could. David Henderson had tremendous passion for the work of Joseph’s Home and he wanted the program to grow and serve many individuals in need because he knew firsthand how Joseph’s Home helped him. Sadly, David passed away in November 2017. To keep David’s spirit of advocacy alive, the Joseph’s Home Board of Directors designated the David Henderson Memorial Award to recognize a supporter, advocate, volunteer or partner of Joseph’s Home that embodies the spirit of David Henderson and our mission.
