Thomas Favour

Madison - Thomas Robert Favour passed away on Friday, December 30, 2016. He was born on September 22, 1936 in Beloit, Wisconsin, the son of Lawrence and Alice (Buck) Favour. Tom graduated from Beloit High School where he played French horn. Tom moved to Madison and earned a Bachelor's degree from the University of Wisconsin; he also served in the Army Reserves for 6 years. While attending the UW, Tom met Rachel Haines of Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin, where she was a nurse at UW Hospital. They were married on August 29, 1959 in Sturgeon Bay.

After graduation, Tom started a long and dedicated career in public service as a planner, first with the UW Planning Department in 1959. In 1961 Tom and Rachel moved to Monterey, California where he would be a city planner for 7 years. Tom and Rachel talked often about their adventure in beautiful Monterey. They returned to Madison in 1968 where Tom pursued post-graduate planning work at UW-Madison. They subsequently relocated to Muskegon, Michigan in 1970 where Tom worked as a planner for the city of Muskegon. They were pulled back to Madison to stay in 1971, where he took a position with the Dane County Regional Planning Commission (RPC). Tom had a front row seat in the growth and development issues of Dane County while serving in various capacities, concluding as the Executive Director of the RPC at the time of his retirement in 1998.

After retirement, Tom continued to support urban planning throughout the upper Midwest as Wisconsin APA conference coordinator (with Rachel's ever-present support) for almost 10 years. Tom also served as Chairman of the Hill Farms Architectural Review Committee. He was integral in designating the Hill Farms Neighborhood on the National Historic Register in 2014 and developing the neighborhood plan. Tom enjoyed spending time with family at their cottage in Door County, providing unconditional support of the Wisconsin Badgers and Green Bay Packers throughout the years, and enjoying the UW Marching Band.

Tom is survived by his wife of 57 years, Rachel; children David (Heidi), Roger (Nancy) and Ken (Quynh); and grandchildren Anna, Sadie, Lilah, Theo, Sarah, and Katie. He was preceded in death by his parents, and brothers James and Richard.

A celebration of life will be held at Olbrich Gardens in Madison from 2-3 pm on Friday, Jan 6th, 2017. The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff of Meriter Hospital, Carbone Cancer Center at the UW Hospital, Capital Lakes Rehabilitation Center, and Agrace HospiceCare for the tremendous care and compassion shown to Tom and our family throughout his treatment. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Tom's honor to Agrace HospiceCare.

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