ALBERT THOMAS "TOM" 1926-2012 A resident of Peralta, NM left us to be with his Lord on Sunday, January 15, 2012. A 1945 graduate of South HS in Columbus, Ohio, he served in two theaters during and after WWII. After marrying Ruth Fladt in 1948, he completed his education by earning a BS degree in Education from Capital University (Ohio) in 1951 and a Master's Degree in Physical Education from Ohio State University in 1954. He entered the field of education and coached athletics beginning in 1951 and continued his lifelong pursuit of educational excellence with full-time positions in Dayton Ohio and Gallup, NM. Even during retirement he continued to serve as a substitute teacher. His sixty-year educational career was capped by the award of the Doctor of Education degree from the University of Cincinnati in 1978 and his selection to serve the Gallup-McKinley County NM school district as the Assistant Superintendent for Secondary Education. Tom was a lifelong advocate for vocational instruction and was instrumental in the development of computer science applications in the classroom and various trades programs. As a coach Tom provided exceptional guidance and successful leadership to teams for 22 years. He coached football in St Mary's, Ohio, Belmont High School in Dayton Ohio and for the University of Dayton's junior varsity squad. Since semi-retirement in the 1990s, Tom and Ruth were actively engaged in their passions of travel, camping, family, gardening, and church activities. As a member of St. Matthew's Episcopal Church in Los Lunas, NM, Tom chaired the committee that led to the design and current construction of a new church facility that will serve the community for many generations to come. He also served the congregation as the Bishop's Warden and in various other leadership capacities. He is survived by his wife, Ruth; their three children and spouses; and four grandchildren. Two of those families, Kenneth and Mary Vincent and Barbara and Steve Neumann, live nearby in New Mexico, while Karen and Jack Kruse live with her family in central Ohio. The grandchildren, Jonathan Vincent, Megan and Rachel Kruse, and Kyle Neumann, have all enjoyed lifelong happy relationships with their extraordinary grandpa. A celebration of this humble and gifted man's life will be held in the spring at his home church. The date and other details will be published later. Memorial gifts may be sent to the St. Matthew's Building Fund, P.O. Box 2489, Los Lunas, NM 87031 or to the American Cancer Society or to the National Arbor Day foundation (www.arborday.org). Tom always loved trees! Sign Tom's online register book at: www.romerofuneralhomenm.com Romero Funeral Home 609 N. Main St. Belen, NM.
|
