Thomas L Newcomb

Thomas Lee Newcomb was, in the words of his son, Uriel, a man's man. He was adored by his wife Lina, daughter Tiffany, sons, Allan, Reynold and Uriel his grandchildren, sisters, brother, in-laws, cousins, nieces, nephews and friends. Tom loved nature, his wife and children, fried chicken, British cars, his own tamales, music, fishing, but most of all, he loved Thanksgiving dinner. If you asked him what he would really love to eat, he would say "turkey, stuffing, mashed potatoes and gravy and Gram's dinner rolls". So it was fitting that the afternoon before Thanksgiving, he chose to have his feast in heaven with those he loved and missed so much; parents, grandparents, and of course, his dog Mike. Tom was a great storyteller. You could be sure that 50% of them were true. You just never knew which 50%. If you were caught in his story web, you were indeed special and it was always worth the time it took to get to the crazy punch line. He lived his life like there was no tomorrow. He always had a project and something to look forward to. His home outside his loving home was the woods. He spent his days in the forest as a Cadastral Surveyor for the BLM, US Forest Service, Jackson and Josephine County. Even after his retirement, his wanderings led him to the most remote areas looking for corners, old forts and lost history. His wife Lina and kids were always busy keeping up with Tom for some of the best adventures and fond memories that would become more amazing tales. Tom died when he rushed into a burning dog shelter, saving sweet puppies and unwanted mutts. Well, maybe not. Tom would have liked that, though. Instead, he fought for eleven years with a disease he didn't deserve; the one person in our family who was not interested in drinking or smoking. He was the best fighter and his army of doctors and nurses were fighting as hard as they could for this brave soldier. Courageous, kind, gentle, hilarious, generous and a huge heart. Tom’s humble heart could not take all the pressures of the technology that kept him with us his final year. Tom was an earthbound angel called back to heaven too soon for the rest of us. Tom's daughter Tiffany asks that in lieu of flowers, if you could honor her father by telling the next person you see a funny story and make them smile. She said "Dad would like that". His wife Lina has asked that contributions in his name be made to Sacred Heart Church in Klamath Falls. Tom adored Father Rogation Urassa and the community at Sacred Heart. A memorial service is planned at Sacred Heart Church in Klamath Falls on December 9th. A rosary will begin at 10am, followed by a funeral Mass for Thomas at 10:30am. There will be a reception immediately after. Please join our family and share some stories small and tall.