Thomas Henry Lockridge

During WWII Tom served in the Army Air Corp as a P-38 pilot. He was shot down in Austria and spent the last several months of the war as a POW before returning to the States.

Back home in Los Angeles, Tom met the love of his life, Kitty Dorene Roberts, while she was working in the fountain of a local drug store. They were married a year later on October 12, 1946 and cherished 58 years together. Tom and Kitty also raised six children.

Tom worked in underground construction as a superintendent and at age 48 began his own construction company.

When he retired, one of his favorite pastimes was traveling. In addition to visiting all 50 states, he and Kitty traveled extensively throughout the world in places like Mexico, China, New Zealand, Thailand, Bali, and most of Europe. They also took numerous cruises in the Caribbean, the Black Sea, the Mediterranean Sea, and climber. Some of the peaks he summited were Mount Shasta, Mount Whitney, and Mount Rainier. One of his most memorable climbs was to the base camp of Mt. Everest, an elevation 18,000 feet.

Tom enjoyed vacationing with his family: camping, rafting, fishing, and cycling. He was also physically active in his retirement, faithfully going to the gym several times a week and running on the beach. For his 87th birthday Tom took his family skydiving and jumped from 10,000 feet.

In Tom’s later years he looked forward to family gatherings and attending his ex-POW group. After joining the group, he began to share his war experiences with family members and others, and was often able to find the humor in even the most difficult memories.

Tom was preceded in death by his wife Kitty. He is survived by his sister Stella Artukovich; his children Janis Lockridge, Cecelia Peroni, Kathy Lockridge, Tom Lockridge, Pat Lockridge, and Tim Lockridge; his 9 grandchildren; and his 11 great grandchildren.

Dad, Grandpa, and Papa we love you and we will miss you.