Thomas Howard Eulberg

Thomas Howard Eulberg passed away in his home in Lincoln, California on April 8, 2023, at the age of 91. Throughout his life, Tom was possessed of a keen mind, a loving spirit, a substantial sweet tooth, and (due to his colorblindness) several pairs of bright red socks which matched little else in his wardrobe and which he wore often, to startling effect.

Tom was born in Dubuque, Iowa on July 14, 1931 to Jacob “Jake” J. Eulberg and Augusta Marie Eulberg (née Gieger), as the youngest of six children. He demonstrated an early entrepreneurial spirit, proudly working as a shop assistant in a haberdashery and as a grocer’s assistant in Pusateri’s throughout his youth before graduating from Loras Academy. He was an athlete of track and field as well as football, and went on to achieve a Bachelor of Arts in Business Administration and a minor in Accounting from Loras College in 1957. He married his favorite dance partner and beloved wife of 70 years, Anne Cheryl Eulberg (née Jungels), on January 24, 1953; his family fondly recalls that his favored method of wooing her prior to their marriage seemed to consist of scrawling his name throughout her dance cards so that no one else could claim her dances. The two embarked on married life in the midst of Tom’s service in the U.S. Army, during which Tom fought in the Korean War and proudly achieved the rank of Corporal.

Upon his discharge from the Army in 1954, Tom and Anne began growing their family, and Tom put his degree to good use. Throughout his long career, Tom was a teamster and worked for GE and 3M before eventually founding and co-owning Music Systems, a company specializing in sound equipment sales and installation. In 1967 Tom and Anne moved their family from Iowa to San Jose, California, where Tom became an avid sailor and boat enthusiast and spent many happy days sailing around San Francisco Bay with Anne serving as his First Mate and their children acting as deckhands. In 1979 the family relocated to Reno, Nevada, where Tom supplied sound equipment to various casinos throughout the state and spent down-time recreating in and around Tahoe and Truckee Meadows and welcoming his new brood of grandchildren. In 1985 Tom and Anne returned to California, ultimately settling in Lincoln, which became the home base for many visits from family and friends, flung far and wide.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents and by his five siblings, James Eulberg, Kermit Eulberg, Kenneth Eulberg, Robert Eulberg, and Mary Jane Sheehy. He is survived by his wife, Anne; his children, Cheryl, Sue, Paul, Nancy, Robin, and Chris; his sixteen grandchildren; his five great-grandchildren; and several much-loved in-laws, nieces, and nephews.

Tom loved music, history, poetry, and spending time in his garden, watching local birds play in the fountain and visit the feeders he hung for them. He was fond of hiking, the beach, and the mountains, and was a skilled woodworker and handyman. He made funny faces in photos, drank day-old coffee with his dessert, was particular about how dishes were washed, and always felt that his grandchildren should feel more strongly about mathematics than any of them ever did. Tom will be especially remembered for his fondness for storytelling and ice cream sundaes, his deep and unshakeable faith, his wonderful singing voice, his profound love for his family and friends, and his unwavering devotion to “his beautiful Anne.” He is loved, and he is missed.

Tom’s life will be celebrated with a funeral Mass at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Lincoln on May 5, 2023 at 11 a.m. Those wishing to honor Tom are encouraged to raise a glass of their favorite drink in his memory and in their own good time, because, as Tom liked to say, “It’s five o’clock somewhere!”