Tom was born on February 3rd, 1953 in Olympia, Washington. He was born into a large and lively family as the 8th of 10 children. He graduated from Saint Martin’s High School in Lacey in 1971 before following in his older brother's footsteps and joining the US Navy. He served on two ships, the USS Decatur and the USS Mount Vernon during the Vietnam War. After returning home from his service, Tom met the love of his life, Susan Hammond. They were married in Seattle, WA in 1981.
Tom and Sue relocated to California in 1984, where they raised their three daughters Camille, Melanie, and Anna in the coastal town of Lompoc. Tom’s love of electronics and Navy training guided his career as a talented fire alarm and life safety technician. He worked for almost three decades at the University of California, Santa Barbara, keeping the students and campus community safe, and retired from his role as Life Safety Supervisor in 2016. Tom and Sue moved back to their home state of Washington after retirement.
Tom was a dedicated family man, and raised his daughters well. He exemplified what a good father and grandfather should be, affectionate and silly, but always there to guide and protect. He was a loving husband to his beloved wife Sue for 43 years, and their love and partnership was a beautiful treasure. He loved his big Boren family with all of his heart and was a silly and lovable brother and uncle. In addition to loving his family, Tom loved God. He was a faithful Christian man, serving God and his church community with strength, care and grace.
Aside from all of the impressive stuff, Tom was just… plain.. FUN. At work, at church, and at home, his hilarious jokes reigned supreme. The lucky people in his life laughed constantly at his witty comments and his silly songs and dances. Tom was also an enthusiastic lover of music, especially classic rock music with epic guitar sound. A sound man for rock bands and church congregations alike, he made sure music sounded crisp and clear wherever he was.
Tom was an athletic guy as well. He was an avid runner in his younger years, and loved lifting weights and riding his bike later in life. He was a major football fan, a true diehard fan of his favorite team, The University of Washington Huskies (Go Dawgs). He and Sue enthusiastically attended Husky games whenever and wherever they could as one of their favorite pastimes.
Tom is survived by his wife Sue, his three girls, Camille (Gavin), Melanie (Freddy) and Anna (Suzette), and his grandkids Sequoia, Marissa, and Owen as well as his siblings Helen, John(Aileen), Jim(Sue), and Carol(Gary) and many cousins, nieces, and nephews. He was preceded in death by his parents Geneva and Leonard, and his siblings Billy, Evelyn, Pat, Janice, and Dave.
In the final years of life, Tom bravely fought Parkinsons and Lewy Body Dementia, which took his life far too soon. His wife Sue, gave loving care to Tom at home until the end, and she and his family thank Providence Hospice, Synergy Homecare, and his special caregiver Amber for their dedicated and loving care.
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