Obituary: Fagan, Thomas J.
He was reunited, in heaven, with his wife Sandra, who passed away on January 24, 2014 and his son Brian, who passed away on January 25, 2014.
Tom was diagnosed with Pulmonary Fibrosis, a rare lung disease with no cure, almost 6 years prior, and bravely endured it’s debilitating effects until he lost the fight at 75 years of age.
Tom was born on May 29, 1938 to Gladys and Thomas Fagan in New York, NY.
After graduating from Cradock High School in Portsmouth, VA, Tom joined the Air Force and married his high school sweetheart, Sandra Poe, in November 1958.
They were happily married for 55 years.
Tom served 22 years in the Air Force in Precision Electronics management and instruction, with some of that time spent overseas, away from his family, in Korea and Vietnam.
He received several Air Force Commendation Medals for his meritorious service and was honorably retired as Master Sergeant in 1979 after his last tour of duty in Honolulu, HI.
Because of his love of camping and fishing, he chose Spokane, WA to relocate to, with his family, and begin the next phase of his life as a civilian.
He worked as an Engineer, Instructor and Technical Specialist at Key Tronic, ITT, and Hewlett Packard, respectively, finishing his career as the Airline Fueling Manager at Spokane Airways, which was by far his favorite job.
He retired for good in 2003.
Tom and Sandra then went on to live their dream of becoming full time RV’ers, traveling around the country for the last and best 10 years of their lives.
Tom is survived by his daughter, Susan of Portland, OR, brother, Pat of Mississippi, five grandchildren and one great-grandchild.
He loved his family, friends and pets dearly.
In addition to camping and fishing, he enjoyed a friendly conversation, a good belly laugh and flying around with the Flight Simulator on his computer.
Tom was one of the most moral and honest men one would ever have hoped to meet.
He will truly be missed.
An Inurnment and Memorial Service for both Tom and his wife Sandra will be held this Wednesday, June 25, 2014 at 1:30pm at the Washington State Veterans Cemetery, 21702 W. Espanola Rd, Medical Lake WA 99022.
In lieu of flowers, Tom and Sandy would like you to adopt a homeless kitten or puppy, or donate to your local Humane Society.