Thomas Norris Etzel

Tom was born in Salem, OR on September 3rd, 1948, to Sylvester “Sid” and Martha Etzel. He was the oldest of 4 children and he took that responsibility very seriously. Tom grew up in Mill City, OR and the surrounding hills, mountains, lakes and streams were his playground. Tom Graduated from Mill City High School in 1966. He attended Mt. Angel College and Oregon State University.

Tom was drafted into the army in 1970. He served in Vietnam and was proud of his military service. He often told stories about the bugs, snakes, and lizards he encountered. Tom married in 1970 and had a daughter, Fara, who was the light of his life.

After returning from Vietnam, he worked at Stayton Cannery and had fond memories of racing around on the forklift in the giant freezer. Tom then worked for Teledyne Wah Chaing (ATI) in Albany as a maintenance welder. His work nickname was “Tommy Toolbox” and he had no end of stories about his work projects and work buddies. In 1992, Tom married MaryAnne and they proceeded to have many happy and exciting adventures including cruises to Alaska and hiking the Grand Canyon.

When he wasn’t working Tom could be found working in the garden, “harassing the grass”, hiking, hunting or fishing. He often went up into the mountains to go ”take a look”. Tom’s rose hedge was legendary and passersby could often be found admiring them. He was a prolific tomato grower and supplied the neighborhood with frequent tomato distributions. Tom made lifelong friends wherever he went, including walks in the neighborhood and at Minto-Brown Park. Family Connections were very important to him and he was a father figure to many. If you needed help, he was the first one there day or night.

Tom is survived by wife MaryAnne Schieffer, Daughter Fara Etzel, Sister Barbara Etzel, Sister Melissa Martinez (Bill) and brother Dave Etzel (Barbara). Tom acquired many beloved extended family members over his life and maintaining those connections was dear to him. Tom was very loved and will be missed beyond words. The family would also like to thank BattleCreek Memory Care for their excellent care, love and friendship to Tom

Memorial service to be held Saturday, May 17th at 1:00 PM at Virgil T. Golden’ Funeral Services.