Thomas Church

Thomas Orin Morrie Church, age 82, of Madison, WI, passed away on May 12, 2017. Tom was the son of the late Robert Ebenezer Church and Viola Edna (Miller) Church. He was united in marriage with Clara O. Acker on June 14, 1956 at St. Bernard's Church in Middleton, WI.

Tom was an extraordinary man, husband, father, sailor, steamfitter and engineer; he did all well. He served in the U.S. Navy, then went on to get his steamfitters license, becoming a member of Steamfitters Local 353, and a degree and licenses in civil and mechanical engineering. Tom began as an engineer for the State of Wisconsin, then was in the private workforce as a project manager for twenty years before returning to Wisconsin to work for UW-Madison. He retired from his position in the UW Physical Plant in 1996 to sail the seas.

Tom loved sailing Lake Michigan, spent many years sailing the great lake with family and friends, and eventually got his captain's license. Not only did he love to sail, he loved restoring his sailboat, the Nor'wester, a wooden John Alden 1926 Schooner, with his good buddy Ken Geier, and working with the Milwaukee Schooner School helping build the Sullivan schooner and teaching kids about sailing. His greatest adventure was sailing down the Tom Big Bee with Clara to the Gulf of Mexico, where they enjoyed many good years of sailing in their retirement, with family and many great friends, new and old. They sailed and lived on the Gulf until 2006, when they returned to Madison because of Tom's Alzheimer's disease. Tom participated in the tremendous research at the Wisconsin Alzheimer's Disease Research Center for eleven years; he donated his brain to the research program.

He is survived by his wife, Clara Church; eight children, including Mary Ellevold of Green Bay WI, Anne (Jeff) Freye of Pardeeville WI, Thomas (Joanne Young) Church of Burnsville MN, Anthony (Dawn) Church of Stoughton WI, Joseph (Tina) Church of Jefferson WI, Jeanne (Jerry) Wagner of Pine Bluff WI, Julie (Todd) Cato of Scurry TX and Elizabeth (Erin Green) Church of Baltimore MD; twenty-four grandchildren, including Jessie (Jacob) Czebotar, Barb, Andrew and Curtis Ellevold; Amanda (Caylen) Schroeder, Christina and Briana Freye, Tyler and Sarah Young Church, Chelsea, Shaylee and Michael Church, Ryan (Rachel) and Tony Church, Daniel and James Cato, Emily, Benjamin, Jeremiah, Patrick, Samson, Clara and Hannah Wagner, and Quinn Green-Church; nine great grandchildren, including Katilyn, Jacob, Jeriah, Josiah, Jonah, and Hannah Czebotar, Bradly Ellevold, Ellianna Schroeder, and Elsie Church; two brothers, Robert Church and Jerry (Stella) Church; sisters-in-law Beatrice Hellenbrand, Josephine (Pederson) Yager, and Annabel Acker; and many beloved nieces, nephews and friends. Tom passed peacefully at home surrounded by his loving wife, children and grandchildren.

A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at ST. THOMAS AQUINAS CATHOLIC CHURCH, 602 Everglade Dr., Madison on Monday, May 15, 2017, at 11 a.m. with Father Bart Timmerman presiding. Military honors and a reception will follow the Mass. A visitation will be held Sunday, May 14, 2017 at Cress Funeral Home from 4 until 7 pm with a rosary and prayers with family and friends beginning at 6:30 p.m.

Please share your memories of Tom.

Cress Funeral & Cremation Service
3610 Speedway Road Madison
(608) 238-3434