Lt. Col. Thomas R. Klomparens

Thomas Roy Klomparens was born Oct. 26 1923 in St. Paul Mn. He was the third child of four children, with two older sisters --- Verabel and Cora -- and one younger sister Joyce. Tom was active in ROTC, and was an explorer scout in the Boy Scouts.

He enlisted in the Air Force, where he achieved the rank of Lt. Col. after 4 years of active and 28 years of reserve duty. He was in the Pacific theater during WWII and spent time in New Guinea, the Philippines, and Australia. After the war, he returned to the States and attended the University of Alabama, Phi Sigma Kappa. His time at the University of Alabama was cut short by his father's passing, at which time he returned home to help with the family business, "Klomp Air Systems."

He married in 1954 and soon after moved to California where he ended up settling in Canoga Park. He began working for Rocketdyne and spent the next 20 years working for both Rocketdyne and Rockwell, with much of that time spent on the Apollo and Gemini projects along with rocket testing in Santa Susana.

Thomas had 4 children; Nancy, followed by sons Tom, Michael and Jimmy. Jimmy precedes him in death, having passed in 1991 and now Tom will be resting close to his son. Tom was a member of the Elks Club, the MOWW, the VFW, and a was a member of Calvary Chapel church. He always tried to help guide his children in best way he knew how, and was always there for them.

Arrangements under the direction of Pierce Brothers Valley Oaks Mortuary, Westlake Village, CA.