Thomas Walter Stieve
March 24th, 1954 - November 23rd, 2023
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Thomas's Obituary
Thomas Walter Stieve died peacefully on November 23, 2023 with his sister by his side.
Tom was born on March 24, 1954 in South Haven, Michigan. He graduated from South Haven High School and attended Central Michigan University.
Tom was athletic and adventurous. He was a life guard, a swimming coach and held a 2nd degree black belt in Okinawan Karate. He was an avid golfer and hiker and loved traveling by Amtrak. Tom took golfing trips to courses all over the United States and Scotland. He regularly hiked the forested dunes at Van Buren State Park. Tom was a skilled carpenter and worked as a construction project manager for Rick Johnson Construction Company in South Haven.
Tom served in the Peace Corps in Kiribati from 1985-1987 and was later a Peace Corps sponsored volunteer for the United Nations in Vanuatu. In these assignments, Tom built water tanks and health clinics and taught construction skills.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Walter R. Stieve and Jeanette Olson Stieve. He is survived by his sister, Susan (Paul) Damon, and brother, Kenneth Stieve.
Tom’s family extends their sincere thanks to the caring staff at Bronson Cancer Center and Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, in particular to Jasmine, Tricia and Tabatha, the nurses who cared for Tom in his last hours.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Historical Association of South Haven, the Al-Van Humane Society or the Black History Leadership Society.
To view Thomas’s personal webpage please visit www.starksfamilyfh.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to Filbrandt Chapel-Starks Family Funeral Homes and Cremation Services. 269-637-0333
Tom was born on March 24, 1954 in South Haven, Michigan. He graduated from South Haven High School and attended Central Michigan University.
Tom was athletic and adventurous. He was a life guard, a swimming coach and held a 2nd degree black belt in Okinawan Karate. He was an avid golfer and hiker and loved traveling by Amtrak. Tom took golfing trips to courses all over the United States and Scotland. He regularly hiked the forested dunes at Van Buren State Park. Tom was a skilled carpenter and worked as a construction project manager for Rick Johnson Construction Company in South Haven.
Tom served in the Peace Corps in Kiribati from 1985-1987 and was later a Peace Corps sponsored volunteer for the United Nations in Vanuatu. In these assignments, Tom built water tanks and health clinics and taught construction skills.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Walter R. Stieve and Jeanette Olson Stieve. He is survived by his sister, Susan (Paul) Damon, and brother, Kenneth Stieve.
Tom’s family extends their sincere thanks to the caring staff at Bronson Cancer Center and Bronson Methodist Hospital in Kalamazoo, in particular to Jasmine, Tricia and Tabatha, the nurses who cared for Tom in his last hours.
In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the Historical Association of South Haven, the Al-Van Humane Society or the Black History Leadership Society.
To view Thomas’s personal webpage please visit www.starksfamilyfh.com. Arrangements have been entrusted to Filbrandt Chapel-Starks Family Funeral Homes and Cremation Services. 269-637-0333
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