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Highlands Today

Colleagues Remember McNally As A 'Great Guy'

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By BRAD DICKERSON

Highlands Today

Published: December 24, 2008

SEBRING - Cally Richardson could pretty much guarantee if she played a prank on co-worker Thomas McNally Jr., he'd retaliate.

For instance, if she put salt in his Mountain Dew, he'd add hot sauce to her drink.

These type of hijinks were very much a part of Richardson and McNally's working relationship, which started at the old Firehouse Subs location and continued when the local Hungry Howie's store opened.

When Firehouse Subs closed its doors in July, Richardson said McNally would check in with her to see how things were going.

"He still called me when I was without a job, asking, 'How are things going? Have you found a job yet?'" she said.

Richardson became emotional talking about McNally, 29, on Tuesday, just three days after he was killed in a two-vehicle accident in Lake County on U.S. 27.

Hungry Howie's owner Brian Ohrt found out about the accident late Saturday evening from his father, who is McNally's next-door neighbor. Due to incorrect information provided to Highlands Today, a story Tuesday had listed the day of the crash as Sunday.

"At 10 o'clock at night, my dad was coming home and saw the highway patrol cars in the driveway and they were telling (McNally's) wife what happened," Ohrt said. "My dad called me right away."
Ohrt said it was his father who recommended McNally for the general manager position at Hungry Howie's.

"(I) never once had one minor problem with him whatsoever," Ohrt said. "A lot of people are just your employees, but he was an employee and a friend."

The owner had the difficult task of talking with his staff Sunday morning about the accident. Employee Samantha Rodriguez said she cried upon first learning the news.

"I couldn't believe it at first," she said.

The Florida Highway Patrol is continuing its investigation into the crash and charges are pending.

Upon hearing the news Saturday night, fellow colleague Amanda Wadian's 7-year-old son, Hunter Denney, wrote a poem in honor of McNally.

"God, take good care of him please," Hunter's poem stated.

Being friends with his co-workers' children appeared to be another attribute that endeared McNally to colleagues. Melissa Locke said his nickname for her 5-year-old daughter was, "cutie on duty."

"He was great to work with," she said.

Joseph Rodriguez remembered McNally as a co-worker who could never get mad, no matter what the circumstance.

"Even if his favorite team was losing, you couldn't get him ticked off at that," he said.

When the two worked together, Rodriguez said he and McNally would, "attack the situation," and get a lot of things done. That included Sundays, when they faced the rush of post-church crowds.

"We always said it to each other, 'We got to put our game face on,'" Rodriguez said. "He was a real great guy. I loved him and I'll miss him."

Highlands Today reporter Brad Dickerson can be reached at 863-386-5838 or bdickerson@highlandstoday.com

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