Our classmate (and Reunion Committee member) Don Peterson reports that Thom Gollan of Port Orchard, WA died earlier this month of emphysema and COPD. I could not find an obituary on-line, so below is Thom's reunion page posting, speaking of his life in his own words:
"After graduating a little late in January ’71, I did a four-year stint in the US Air Force as a Crash/Rescue Firefighter that included a year in South Korea. After the Air Force, I spent three years working toward a degree in geology/geophysics. That lead to a job with a mining exploration company out of Denver, Colorado. In the three years I worked for them I managed to visit every state west of the Mississippi except Louisiana. In 1981 I married my wife, Mona, and both the mining and oil industries tanked. I spent the next year and a half doing whatever odd jobs I could find in the Denver area. From early ‘83 through mid ’84 I went through Redstone College’s Airframe and Powerplant program and got my FAA Mechanics License. Over the next six years I worked for three different airlines in four states. From 1990 through 2000 I managed product support operations in the Americas for a British aerospace components manufacturer. In late 1999 my family bought a Fixed Base Operation in Rapid City, SD that we ultimately closed in 2004, due to my contracting cancer. By late 2005 I had recovered sufficiently to return to work and moved to Seattle, WA as a Director of Quality Assurance at an aircraft maintenance center. After Washington legalized cannabis in 2012, I invested in that industry. I am now retired.
"I am still happily married, with three grown children, one of whom has passed away."
I went to grade school with Tom and we used to sneak outside and eat our lunch in the summer. My partner in crime that yr of 4th grade. He also shared with me the same birthday and yr. My mom passed away from this same illness at 92. A hard way to leave this world.
Scott Zapel
Our classmate (and Reunion Committee member) Don Peterson reports that Thom Gollan of Port Orchard, WA died earlier this month of emphysema and COPD. I could not find an obituary on-line, so below is Thom's reunion page posting, speaking of his life in his own words:
"After graduating a little late in January ’71, I did a four-year stint in the US Air Force as a Crash/Rescue Firefighter that included a year in South Korea. After the Air Force, I spent three years working toward a degree in geology/geophysics. That lead to a job with a mining exploration company out of Denver, Colorado. In the three years I worked for them I managed to visit every state west of the Mississippi except Louisiana. In 1981 I married my wife, Mona, and both the mining and oil industries tanked. I spent the next year and a half doing whatever odd jobs I could find in the Denver area. From early ‘83 through mid ’84 I went through Redstone College’s Airframe and Powerplant program and got my FAA Mechanics License. Over the next six years I worked for three different airlines in four states. From 1990 through 2000 I managed product support operations in the Americas for a British aerospace components manufacturer. In late 1999 my family bought a Fixed Base Operation in Rapid City, SD that we ultimately closed in 2004, due to my contracting cancer. By late 2005 I had recovered sufficiently to return to work and moved to Seattle, WA as a Director of Quality Assurance at an aircraft maintenance center. After Washington legalized cannabis in 2012, I invested in that industry. I am now retired.
"I am still happily married, with three grown children, one of whom has passed away."
Karen Byers (Link)
I went to grade school with Tom and we used to sneak outside and eat our lunch in the summer. My partner in crime that yr of 4th grade. He also shared with me the same birthday and yr. My mom passed away from this same illness at 92. A hard way to leave this world.
Jean "Frosty" Pengelly (Lay)
I'm so sorry to hear about Thom. Sounds like he led an interesting and full life seeing so many places. My thoughts to his family.
Marsha Virene (Matthews)
I didn't know Thom, but those who did know him benefitted from his full life. I'm so sorry to hear of his passing.