Thomas Andrew Portillo, D.V.M.

Thomas Andrew Portillo D.V.M., age 57, of Amarillo, died December 1, 2023, in Kansas City, MO.

A rosary service will be on Sunday, December 10, 2023, at 6:00 PM at Schooler Funeral Home, Brentwood Chapel, 4100 South Georgia, with a vigil service to follow at 6:30 PM.  The funeral mass will be on Monday, December 11, 2023, at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 4100 South Coulter.

Tom was born May 16, 1966, in El Paso, Texas, to his parents, Andres and Irma Yvonne Samaniego Portillo. He graduated from Cathedral High School in 1984.  He then attended New Mexico State University in Las Cruces, NM, and graduated from Colorado State University of Veterinary Medicine and Biomedical Sciences in 1997.

He married Jacque Kay Gigot on August 20, 1993, in Garden City, Kansas.  Their love story continued for the next thirty years and grew to include four children.  The family moved to Amarillo in 2007 from Colorado and were members of St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church.

Tom was a busy man, working on contract for VRCS, a group of veterinarians specializing in feedlot production medicine and research. He also had various duties with his many memberships. Despite his busy schedule, he managed to train in Brazilian jiu-jitsu and achieved the rank of purple belt. He also earned a black belt in Kenpo Karate. Tom was an avid runner and participated in many 5K races. He would train for potential triathlons by swimming and biking. He even joined his wife's group cardio exercise classes on Saturdays.

Tom served as past president of the Academy of Veterinary Consultants 2016-2017, as a director of the Texas Cattle Feeders Association and as a director of the Academy of Veterinary Consultants 2007, Chair of NCBA Cattle Health and Well-Being Committee and Co-chair of the Cattle Traceability Working Group. He was a member of the NCBA Antimicrobial Resistance Policy Advisory Group, Feedlot Audit Tool Task Force, National Animal Disease Preparedness and Response Program (NADPRP) Secure Beef Supply Plan Advisory Group, and the Texas Tech Veterinary Medicine Steering Committee.  He serves as a Presenter at AABP and Western Veterinary Conferences and a founding member of the CSU AgNext Industry Innovation Working Group. Tom was awarded The Academy of Veterinary Consultants Consultant of the Year 2015 and The AABP Award for Excellence in Preventive Veterinary Medicine - Beef 2016.

Aside from his consulting, meetings, and traveling, Tom was a faithful Catholic who had a genuine love for our Lord. He was a devoted and loyal husband, a loving and patient father, and a caring son and brother. Tom rarely said no to any request, be it church, school, friend, or work-related. However, he felt his true calling was to help his wife and children make it to heaven through his actions and faith. Everything he did for his family, friends, and colleagues was not out of obligation or responsibility but rather born out of the fire of love.

Tom was preceded in death by his father, Andres, and by a brother, Ray Portillo.

He is survived by his wife, Jacque Kay; his children, William Andrew Portillo, Jarod Andrew Portillo, Audrey Katherine Portillo, and Veronica Katherine Portillo; his mother, Irma Yvonne Samaniego Portillo; his siblings, Victoria (Viki) Portillo-Wong and Ying Wong, Diana (DeeDee) (Portillo) and Kent Dillard, Jacqueline (Jackie) Portillo and David and Monica (Herrera) Portillo; his sister-in-law, Marianne Portillo; his nephews, Tyler Dillard, Travis Dillard, Troy Dillard, and A.J. Portillo; his nieces, Sarah Portillo, Helen O’Neil, and Daniele Dillard; his great nephew, Nolan Dillard; and his great nieces, Juliette Portillo, Nova Dillard, and Marli Dillard.

The family suggests that memorials be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital in Tom’s memory. www.stjude.org