Tom de la Fuente

Tom was born on March 3rd 1949 in Palo Alto to Arthur and Marie de la Fuente. Tom, along with his siblings Mark and Dolores spent their early years in San Carlos, and in 1961 moved down to Santa Clara. Tom attended Buchser High School where he made many life-long friends. Tom was a member of both the Football and Track Team, and was also a Cheerleader. After graduating in 1967 he joined the Marines and served in Vietnam. He was medically discharged in 1969. He then attended San Jose State University and graduated with a degree in English. Tom became a successful technical writer in the high-tech industry and also organized Trade Shows which utilized his Carpentry skills. Tom had a passion for cooking, and emphasized Mexican food. Grandma de la Fuente passed down her recipe for tamales to Tom, and in turn Tom enjoyed sharing them with family. Throughout the years Tom enjoyed a variety of musical genres. His diversified tastes included The Blues, Motown, Rock n Roll and Classical. Tom attended many concerts but his favorite was when he saw “The Who” live at a concert before they became famous.

Tom was an animal lover and rescued a fantastic dog named Max who shared a life with Tom for 17½ years. Max and Tom were inseparable, and skiing, camping, and rock climbing were a few of the adventures they enjoyed together. While Tom had many interests in life his true passion was restoring classic cars. His pride and joy was his 1955 Studebaker truck, “The Stude”, and later his 1973 Triumph TR6. Tom and Maryalice always enjoyed going to car shows, his TR6 recently restored reflected his passion for a true British Classic! In 2005 Tom was reunited with Maryalice, who he knew from high school, and they became life partners along with their pets Max and Kitty. Together they remodeled their townhouse, traveled, and started a pet sitting business. After Max and Kitty crossed over the rainbow bridge, they adopted their kitties Wally, Katie and George Brown.

Tom was most proud of his bone marrow donation to a little 3-year girl named Alex. He attended Alex’s wedding in 2008 and was acknowledged as “the man who saved her life”. In 2019 Tom was diagnosed with ALS, and the diagnosis changed Tom and Maryalice’s life together. Tom faced this challenge and continued to live life to the fullest with Maryalice by his side. The best day of Tom’s life was when he married Maryalice on October 4, 2020. They had a beautiful wedding in the Santa Cruz Mountains, attended by members of both families. Tom’s illness did not hamper his zest for life, and he continued to enjoy trips with Maryalice to car shows, family visits, and to their favorite getaway, Morro Bay. However, the ALS progressed and Tom passed peacefully at home on August 24, 2022.

Tom’s family would like to thank the VA, Dr. Reimer and Dr. Sharma for their exceptional care and compassion. Tom will always be remembered as a generous and kind person with a good sense of humor. Tom never complained about his illness, he continued to look forward to each day.

Donations can be made to:

ALS Association – Golden West Chapter

P.O. Box 565

Agoura Hills, CA 91376-0565