Thomas Allen Sather

They will soar on eagles’ wings…” ~Isaiah 40:31

Thomas Sather – a friend and mentor to countless, an adoring father to his four sons, and a devoted husband – died suddenly on December 9, 2021. He was 74.

Born June 4, 1947, in Illinois to Norbert Benedict Sather and Mary Seidl Sather, Tom was the oldest of six children. He spent a year in seminary in high school but changed course and became a teacher after college. While living at an apartment complex outside Chicago with his first wife, Barbara, he discovered by chance what would become a lifetime passion. His neighbor, Ed Webster, a newly hired pilot for United Airlines, took him on his first ever plane ride. Tom was hooked immediately.

The Vietnam war was raging when Tom enlisted in 1971 in the United States Marine Corps. He went first to officer candidate school in Quantico, Virginia; then to flight school training in Pensacola, where he earned his “Wings of Gold”; and finally, to the Marine Corps Air Station in Tustin, where he was assigned to the CH-53D Sea Stallion, one of the largest helicopters in the world. In what would become a defining period in his life, he spent 13 months in Cambodia and Vietnam, flying covertly for Air America; taking part in Operation Eagle Pull, the evacuation of embassy personnel and military from Phnom Penh, where he flew the last flight out of the capital; and Operation Frequent Wind, the evacuation of Saigon as it fell to the North Vietnamese. Famously, a Newsweek magazine cover at the time featured Tom in his helicopter just after he had flown the deposed Cambodian president to Thailand. He left the military in 1976 with the rank of captain. Although his experiences in Southeast Asia were emotionally wrenching, his time spent in the service was a source of great pride and he hearkened back to it throughout his life.

Tom moved to California after the war and began a career in real estate. He owned and operated ERA Star Real Estate, All Homeowners Mortgage, and Unique Escrow in Fountain Valley and El Toro for more than a decade. In 1989, Tom met Dawn at an office Christmas party and they began dating. Two years later, recognizing a growing need for dignified senior care, Tom and Dawn opened their first six-bed board and care home in Laguna Niguel. By 2000, Quality Life Homes had grown to five homes and earned a reputation for excellence in the home healthcare industry. Tom went on to help several of his friends and two of his sons open their own senior care homes.

Tom and Dawn married in 1995 and moved to Coto de Caza, where they embarked on a life rich with good friends and happy times. They enjoyed elaborate dinners with other Coto residents through “Gourmet Behind the Gates”, a culinary club his wife ran for 12 years. Their neighbors became like family and they traveled far and wide together. Tom and Dawn just returned from a trip to Charleston, South Carolina in November, where they celebrated their 26th wedding anniversary. While there, Tom was thrilled to reconnect with his former military superior, Lt. Col. Kit Corcoran.

Tom loved to hike in the hills around Coto de Caza with Dawn, his son Douglas, and their dog Riley. He went on weekly bike rides from the Newport Peninsula to the Huntington Beach pier and back. He was active in the November 10th Association, a group that gathers annually to celebrate that birthday of the United States Marine Corps. At every opportunity, he took to the skies, first in his Mooney plane and later in his Piper Malibu Mirage. He earned his ATP rating, the highest level of aircraft pilot certification. He inspired others to learn to fly, including his wife, his son Matt, and his grandson Zack.

A testament to his charitable nature, Tom was a court-appointed special advocate for a young boy. He was also a member of LIGA, the Flying Doctors of Mercy. Starting in 2003, he served as a volunteer pilot, shuttling doctors and nurses every other month to clinics in Mexico to provide free medical care. Once on the ground, Tom would help with myriad tasks and was sometimes even pressed into service during surgeries.

At the time of his passing, Tom was looking forward to flying on New Year’s Day over the Rose Bowl parade with his Skytypers crew. For the last six years, Tom had been part of a six-man formation team that flew Grumman Tigers and created aerial advertising in the sky. Tom flew in position five alongside his good friend and fellow pilot Steve Blythe. Their first job was in 2015 over the Indianapolis 500 race. They departed from Chino airport and trained as they flew to Indiana. Just before going under anesthesia for surgery at Hoag Hospital, Tom reminded his doctor that he needed to be well enough to fly in three weeks’ time.

Tom’s love of flying was second only to his love of his country and family – his beloved wife Dawn, his four sons – Joey, Michael, Matt, Douglas – and his six grandchildren. He will be remembered by all who knew him for his charity, his enthusiasm for life, and, of course, his great storytelling.

Quietly spiritual, Tom said beautiful, heartfelt graces before family dinners, always giving thanks to our active military and those who lost their lives for our country. He took time out every day to relish life, often pulling off the road at Aliso Creek Beach and Laguna Niguel Regional Park to enjoy a few minutes of solitude. But far and away, Tom’s “happy place”, as he called it, was his home of the last 23 years. He could read for hours in his library, going through several books a week. At night, he would sit in the backyard looking out to the mountains in the distance. He preferred to be in the dark so his eyes could adjust to the natural light. He said it reminded him of being back in Vietnam when he would prepare his eyes for night flying just before taking off from the aircraft carrier.

Although Tom is no longer with us, we are comforted by 2 Corinthians 5:8: “To be absent from the body is to be present with the Lord.” We pray that Tom is flying to heaven to be with the Lord.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.fairhavenmemorialservices.com for the Sather family.