~ IN MEMORY ~
Navy veteran, NWA Capt. Thomas M.
Wondergem
October 5, 1940 ~ March 12,
2014
News has been received with the passing
of RNPA member, Navy veteran and retired NWA Captain Thomas Michael Wondergem,
age 73. Captain Wondergem joined Northwest Airlines 01-06-1969 and retired
with Northwest in 2000.
The online guestbook and service
information for Captain Wondergem should be available shortly at
the funeral home website http://farleyestesdowdle.com/obituaries/
Survived by his wife Kathleen personal
condolences may be sent to
6213 Glen Abbey Lane , Bradenton FL
34202-9256 ... (941) 755-8121
A Mass of the
Christian Burial is scheduled for Wednesday, March 19th at 10:30 A.M., St.
Philip Roman Catholic Church, 112 Capital Ave., N.E., Battle Creek, MI.
Visitation at 9:00 AM (the same day) at Farley-Estes and Dowdle Funeral Home,
Battle Creek MI , followed by interment with full
Military Honors at Ft. Custer National
Cemetery. Please see information below.....
~ Carol
Obituary: Thomas M.
Wondergem, 73, formerly of Battle Creek, MI, passed away in Jacksonville, FL on
March 12, 2014.
He was born, October 5, 1940, in Battle Creek, Michigan. He
attended Ann J. Kellogg, WK Kellogg and graduated from Battle Creek Central High
School in 1958. He attended one year at Kellogg Community College and then
attended and graduated from Michigan State University in March 1963. He played
on many little, intermediate, and senior baseball teams in his early years and
won numerous titles and championships. Two standout teams were the Battle Creek
Elks #131 and the Battle Creek American Legion Teams.
Tom was hired by Grand Trunk Railroad as a Brakeman, and
worked until September, 1963, enlisting in the Navy’s Officer Candidate School
at Newport, Rhode Island. On receiving his commission he was ordered to
Pensacola, Florida for Flight Training. He received his “Wings of Gold” in June
1965 in Kingsville, Texas, and was assigned for further advanced combat training
at Lemoore, California, flying the Douglas A-4
Skyhawk. In December of 1965, he deployed on the Nuclear Aircraft Carrier,
U.S.S. Enterprise, which had the distinction of being the first nuclear ship in
any combat situation. He returned home to his home base at Lemoore, in late
July and again redeployed in late December on board the U.S.S.
Hancock.
He flew a combined 193 combat missions and was awarded
numerous Air Medals, Combat Medals and other awards. He had over 400 Carrier
landings. On returning from that deployment in late July he
was assigned orders to be carrier landing instructor at Pensacola,
Fl.
He left the Navy in December of 1968 and was hired at
Northwest Airlines, in January 1969. He had 32 years experience with Northwest
and retired in October 2000 as a B-747 Captain flying the Pacific. He flew the
B-707 and its three variants, the B-727, B-757, DC-10 and the B-747. He had
type ratings on every plane except the B-707. His final accumulation of flight
hours exceeded 22,000 hours.
He was a charter member of the Skyhawk Association and a Board
Member for over 5 years. His other affiliations were the Red River Valley
Fighter Pilots, (A closed membership now as you had to fly a combat mission in
the Red River country which is north of Hanoi up to the Chinese border) and The
Tailhook Association. He was a member of the American Legion, Veterans
Association and the Elks. He is survived by his most beautiful wife of 32
years, Kathleen. Her three children, Brendan Meeker (Sulynn), Heather, and
Farrel Meeker. His two children, Eric Wondergem (Connie), Casey Magnum (Bill),
and four grandchildren, Caitlyn Wondergem, Courtney Williams, McKenzie Mangum,
and Maewyn Meeker.
He was preceded in death by his son, Michael Scott, his
father, Marvin Wondergem, his mother, Marilyn Gunning, step-father, Alfred Wayne
Gunning, grandparents, Ralph and Marion Shulters, and Irene Wondergem, uncle,
Charles Shulters (Delores), and aunt, LouAnn Shulters and sister, Cindy
(Medford).
He is also survived by his beloved sister, Sue Barney (Gary),
brothers, Jeff and Marvin Jr. (Skip) Wondergem, and uncle, Ralph Shulters, and
uncle, Jack Palmer.
A Mass of the Christian Burial is scheduled for 10:30 A.M. at
St. Philip Roman Catholic Church, 112 Capital Ave., N.E., Battle Creek, MI and a
9:00 AM visitation (the same day) at Farley-Estes and Dowdle Funeral Home,
Battle Creek, MI. Follow by interment with full Military Honors at Ft. Custer National Cemetery. In lieu of flowers,
the family requests donations be made to the National Hemophilia Foundation, 116
West 32nd Street, 11th Floor, New York, NY in care of Michael Scott Wondergem or
the Wounded Warrior Project, P.O. Box 758517, Topeka, Kansas 66675.
.Published in Battle Creek Enquirer on Mar. 16, 2014
- See more at: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/battlecreek/obituary.aspx?n=thomas-wondergem&pid=170171931#sthash.BMuhVZMT.dpuf
From: RNPA News Sent: Friday, March
14, 2014 8:36 AM Subject: Tom Wondergem Service
Information.
The services for Tom
Wondergem will be as follows:
Wed. 19Mar Battle
Creek,MI
Visitation 9:00
AM,
Mass
10:30
Military Burial
12:00
Luncheon
2:00PM
St. Phillip Roman Catholic Church
112 Capital Ave., N.E. , Battle Creek, MI 49017
More info on signing
of guest book tomorrow.
From: RNPA News Sent: Friday, March
14, 2014 7:33 AM Subject: Tom Wondergem Has Flown West.
To my NWA brethren,
Sorry to have to info you all thatTom
Wondergem flew west on his
cherished Navy Wings Of Gold at about 11:00
AM this morning at
the Mayo Hospital in
Jacksonville,FL.
Services will be announced by the family as
soon as they are finialized.
Probably Wed or Thrus next week in Battle
Creek,MI
No final diagnosis has been announced but one
probable cause was Idiopathic pulmonary fibrosis.
From: RNPA News Sent: Saturday,
March 08, 2014 8:31 AM Subject: Tom Wondergem
Update.
Gar
Benson writes.
Tom is into his 11th day in the hospital here
at the Mayo in Jacksonville.
Another setback today. He had to go on a
ventilator this morning so that means he is sedated. They are going to bombard
him with steroids and see if that will do anything to help him. Nothing else has
helped and the Mayo Doc's are perplexed. They are now shooting in the dark in
hopes the steroids will work. I guess in a couple of days they will know
something and if they don't work, what next???? Thats the big
question.
Will keep you informed.
From: RNPA News Sent: Tuesday,
March 04, 2014 5:10 PM Subject: Tom Wondergem
Update.
Gar Benson
writes.
To all NWA brothers,
I saw Tom this morning and he is still
struggling with all the associated problems
he is faced with. He not only has pulmonary
problems but there are cardiac issues also.
In the next 3 days he will facing a
bronchoscopy, going thru the mouth to look at your lungs,
and a day later a thoracocentesis, going into
your lungs thru your ribs for a biopsy of the lungs.
At least for several days, he will be unable
to have visitors.
Once he out of the hospital and in a rehab
center, then he will be more accessible.
Lets all hope for better news in the next few
days.
From: RNPA News Sent: Monday, March 03, 2014
1:15 PM Subject: Tom Wondergem Update.
Gar
Benson writes.
To all you Northwest
brothers,
A week ago today[Monday], my Kathy and I went
out for dinner with Tom and Kathy Wondergem the night before he was going in the
Mayo Clinic here in Jacksonville for tests to find out what his breathing
problems were. He was really having breathing problems that Tuesday morning and
the pulmonary Dr admitted to the hospital immediately.
Well, a week later he is still there. He is
on 100% oxygen just to keep his oxygen in his blood up. It is difficult for him
to talk because that effort takes away from his oxygen level in his blood. I
have been going by and visiting with him and yesterday when I saw him, he was
getting better. However he had a setback last night and is once again on max
oxygen.
Hopefully he will improve today and tomorrow.
He has to get off 100% oxygen to get out of the hospital. Right now he can not
carry on a conversation so calls are not feasible. Kathy is going to let me know
when he can talk. I plan on seeing him again tomorrow morning and hopefully he
will be better.
No comments:
Post a Comment