Thomas Edward Ahart, beloved husband of Rita Mary Kobolt (1927-2006) was born in Ames, Iowa April 2, 1925 to J. Leo and Anna Judge Ahart. He was preceded in death by his siblings, Leo, James, Gregory, Emmett, Joan, and Mary. His surviving siblings include Vincent and Richard.
Early in his life, Tom was fascinated with all things mechanical. Mechanized farming was new technology when he was a boy, and he was eager to learn everything about it. He started driving and maintaining the tractors on the family farm at a young age, which was an important contribution at that time.
Tom studied engineering at Iowa State, making the 100 mile trip from the farm to Ames on a motor scooter built from salvaged parts. He served in the Army Air Corp and developed a love of aviation, and B-25's in particular. Tom also loved fast cars, and Packards were his favorite.
Tom and Rita raised six children and placed a high value on their education; Mary Patricia Oelschlager (Ronald), Susie Distefano (Ignatius), Anne Vollink (Joseph), Janet Balke (Trent), Michael Ahart (Sherri), and John Ahart (Susan). Grandchildren include Max Oelschager, Nick and Nina Distefano, Amanda and Michael Bell, Nathan and Ryan Balke, Thomas (Emily) and Erin Ahart, and Eric (Jennifer) and Lauren Ahart along with great grandchlldren River and Remington Ahart.
Tom had a self-reliant mindset and ran a small family construction/sanitation business with vigor. He was known for his technical insight, pride of workmanship, and honesty. His outside interests included opera and symphony music, aviation, hunting, trap shooting, and history, all of which were secondary to his love of physics and chemistry. The fascination with science inevitably involved extended conversations and many cups of coffee. He was also very intentional about raising independent children; learning to change a tire and gap spark plugs were pre-requisites to getting the car keys.
By far, the most important part of Tom's world was his wife Rita of 56 years. She was the love of his life, he looked no further, and anyone who knew him understood this. He was a man of uncomplicated values and an unwavering belief in God. He placed importance on good grammar and politeness. He was instinctively considerate and fair in his business and personal life, and taught us to "leave the other person a place to hang their hat". Dad was a fascinating and humble man, a continuous life learner, and a person who was always in motion. We will miss you greatly Dad, and are honored to have had you in our lives. Kiss Mom for us and God speed.
Services will be held on Saturday, September 7th at 10:30 am at St. Patrick's Catholic Church, 1086 N 94 St, Kansas City, KS 66112. Interment will follow at Chapel Hill Memorial Gardens, 701 N 94th St., Kansas City, KS 66112. Contributions may be made to honorflightkc.org
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