Thomas Allan Rand

Tom was born in Manitowoc, Wisconsin on April 4th, 1937, and grew up in Green Bay where he excelled in basketball (all state and all city honors), football (all state and all city honors), swimming, and track.

He graduated from Michigan State University in 1959. A true Spartan for the vast majority of his life, he prided most on his time spent as #20 on the Michigan State University Men’s Basketball Team from 1956–1959 where he and his team took the Spartans to the school’s first Big Ten Championship and Final Four appearance in 1957, and then to another Big Ten Championship in 1959! Tom truly cherished the lifelong friendships that he had with his fellow teammates.

After graduation, he went on to be the MSU freshman basketball coach for three years and then served in the Army as a tank commander at Fort Knox. After his service in the Army, he spent roughly 15 years living in Denver Colorado where he was a stockbroker and a financial adviser. He then returned to the East Lansing area where he settled in Okemos and continued his career as a financial advisor. Tom was thrilled to once again be an active member of the MSU basketball family helping with many reunions over the years, including the organization of the 100 years of basketball reunion game and celebration in 1998.

Tom joined the Torch Lake Yacht & Country Club in 1981 when he married Martha Christensen. He loved being a co-chairman of the tennis program with Holly Lapratt for ten years. He was also the proud winner of the Woody Hoch Men’s Masters Tennis Championship trophy 12 years in a row. But most of all, Tom treasured the friendships he formed at the club both on and off the water.

He is survived by his wife of 44 years, Martha Christensen Rand; daughter, Jessica (Tom) Volz; sons, Doug (Karen) Rand and Mark Rand; stepdaughters, Barb (Ross) Engelkes, Julie (Edward) deTar, and Amy (Ted) Keller; his 13 grandchildren and 10 great grandchildren; his sister, Sally Hamilton;his brother, Dan (Christine) Rand, and his many nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his grandparents, Dutch and Fritz Brault; his mother, Albertine “Randy” Rand; his father, George Rand, and brother, Terry Rand.

No services are being planned at this time. If you would like to honor Tom’s memory, please consider a donation to become a partner in hope with St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital or make a donation to preserve Torch Lake and the surrounding areas through the Torch Lake Protection Alliance or the Grand Traverse Regional Land conservancy.