Thomas Humphrey Gallivan III

It is with the heaviest of hearts that we announce the passing of our beloved husband, brother, father, and grandfather. Thomas “Tom” Gallivan of Placentia, California passed away on Wednesday, July 27, 2022, after a short battle with cancer. Tom was born on December 5th, 1958, in Orange, California. He is the cherished husband of Theresa (Grubbs) Gallivan, whom he was married for 39 years. He is father to Brent Gallivan, Tommy Gallivan (Megan) and Alicia Richards (Brent).  He was the proud grandfather “Popa” of five beautiful grandchildren, McKinley, Jackson, Aubrie, Pierce, and Cole. He is survived by his sister Kathy Schroeder (Richard) and brother Tim Gallivan (Cecilia).

Tom dedicated most of his life to public safety. In 1980, after six months as a Reserve Officer with the Placentia Police Department, he was hired by the Orange County Sheriff’s Department, where he spent most of his career. Over the first 10 years, he served as a Deputy Sheriff, working in corrections and operations before being promoted to the rank of Sergeant. In 2004, he was promoted again to Lieutenant, with new assignments that included Jail Watch Commander, Bureau Commander of the Intake Release Center, Bureau Commander of the North Operations Division and Chief of Police Services for the contract city of Villa Park. Tom was then promoted to the rank of Captain in 2012. As a Captain his commands included Operations and the Court Division. In 2013 he retired from the Orange County Sheriff’s Department and was hired as Captain for the Cerritos College Police Department, that same year. In 2015 he was named Chief of Police for Cerritos College. He retired from Cerritos College in 2020 after over 40 years of Law Enforcement Service.

Tom, your life was a blessing, your memory a treasure; you are loved beyond words and missed beyond measure.

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