Thomas Leo Stowell

The fourth child of Forrest and Maxine Stowell, Tom Stowell was born and raised in Minneapolis, MN. As a student at De La Salle high school, Tom’s math talent led him into a pilot program allowing a few, select math gifted students the opportunity to attend college math classes at the University of Minnesota and receive college credit for them.

As the Vietnam war was ramping up in 1966, Tom and his friend, Mike Smith, joined the army on the buddy system. Both of them scored high on the military entrance exam. Tom became a paratrooper with the 173rd Airborne Brigade and was deployed in Southeast Asia on very dangerous, highly classified missions, exposing him to the toxin, Agent Orange. Tom received the Presidential Unit Emblem for his service with the 173rd Airborne Brigade in the Republic of Vietnam and the Republic of Vietnam Gallantry Cross with Palm Unit Citation. He told us he was in Payroll, and we believed him!

After his Vietnam tour, he earned a Master's degree in math from the University of North Carolina and married his beautiful, intelligent wife Dilys (Dee) Bass, in 1969.

Attracted to the structure, discipline and prestige of the military, Tom joined the navy, was interviewed by Admiral Hyman Rickover and was trained in Naval architecture. He also taught at the Naval College in Orlando.

Tom was reported to have been one of the most highly decorated Engineering Duty officers in the Navy. He received many Meritorious Service awards and Medals of Honor for re-fitting and renovating submarines: Lieutenant Commander for the refueling and overhaul of the USS John C. Calhoun; Lieutenant Commander as head of Budget and Scheduled Maintenance Control Branch in the Atlantic Fleet; Meritorious Service Medal (Gold Star in lieu of the third award) to Commander Stowell as Ship Supportability, Maintenance Program Assessor on the Staff of the Deputy Chief of Naval Operations (Logistics), Washington, D.C.; Gold Star in lieu of the fourth award to Commander Stowell as Shipyard Business Operations Officer and Project Superintendent for the overhaul of USS Saipan at Norfolk Naval Shipyards; GoldStar in lieu of the fifth award to Captain Thomas L. Stowell as Project Superintendent, Planning and Engineering Officer and Operations Officer assigned to Portsmouth Naval Shipyard.

Tom’s outstanding military career allowed him to retire as a Navy Captain in July 2001. Tom wanted to spend more time with Dee.

Following his military retirement, Tom began working as Fleet Support Manager at Newport News Shipbuilding and then as a Vice President at Oceaneering International Marine Services in Chesapeake, VA.

Exposure to Agent Orange and ionizing radiation triggered health concerns, forcing Tom to adopt a less demanding schedule, so he started a small business related to submersibles.

Beautiful Dee passed away in March of 2017 due to recurring cancer while Tom’s progressing Alzheimer’s disease consumed him. Tom died in memory care in La Jolla, CA on 7 Feb 2021.

Tom was a decent, humble man who never bragged about his many accomplishments. He is preceded in death by his parents, Forrest and Maxine Stowell, his sister, Muriel (Jerry) Thomas and his wife, Dee Bass Stowell. He is survived by his brother, Ralph Stowell, his sister, Marcia Beland and twelve Stowell family nieces and nephews, as well as brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law and eleven Bass family nieces and nephews.

Special thanks to Carol Laibstain, a friend and former Norfolk neighbor, to Jane Bass Holt, his sister-in-law, to Lynne Stowell Pavlacka, his niece, to Larry Ingels his friend and former colleague for comforting and assisting Tom during his decline.

Tom's ashes will be placed at Arlington National Cemetery when space is available and travel is unrestricted.