Thomas Shank Sr.

THOMAS GEORGE SHANK SR.

Cedar Rapids

Thomas George Shank Sr., 70, of Cedar Rapids, passed away Feb. 16, 2017, at St. Luke's Hospital in Cedar Rapids. A memorial service will be held from 2 to 4 p.m. Saturday, Feb. 25, at Harvest Life Church, 167 Jacolyn Dr. NW.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Tom Shank Memorial Fund.

Tom was born Sept. 19, 1946, at Mercy Hospital in Cedar Rapids, the son of Albert and Jeanette. He graduated from Washington High School, Class of 1964. He married Ruth Parsons, and together they had three children, Stephani, Tom Jr. and Merle. Tom worked at Penick and Ford for a while during his 20s, and on the weekends, he was a drummer in a few different bands. Tom also performed at Cedar Rapids Community Theater and landed leading actor roles in several Neil Simon plays. He moved to California at age 30 and performed different jobs, including a stint with the Pier Workers Union in Santa Cruz.

He joined the Navy in 1980 and began his career in the military. He also served in the Marine Corps Reserves, California National Guard and eventually the Department of Defense. He loved his country and was proud to serve it for so many years. He retired from the military at the age of 55 and moved back to Iowa to be closer to his family.

Tom was a Volkswagen enthusiast and he owned many through the years. Westfalia camper buses were his favorite, as he loved to go camping as well. Some of the best times spent with him were on camping trips all over the country. He lived for road trips and a big atlas to plan the route. National Parks were his absolute favorite places to visit. He also enjoyed cooking as long as there was some to cook for. Other interests included photography and astronomy.

Above all, Tom loved his family and spent time with them as often as he could. He was a loving father, husband, brother, son and friend.

Tom is survived by his wife, Angela; his daughters, Stephani (Pierre) Neveu of Montreal, Canada, and Connie (Terry) Sumpter of Seminole, Texas; his sons, Tom Jr. (Andrea) Shank of Cedar Rapids, Merle Shank of Cedar Rapids and Josh (Sarah) Thornton of San Diego, Calif.; his brother, Albert Frank II (Alba) of Charlottesville, Va.; his sister, Janet (Royal) Castleman of Bullhead City, Ariz.; his former wife, Ruth (Roger) Cooper of Cedar Rapids; his 10 grandchildren, Alex, Brittani, Andrew, Brianna, Jesseca, Nathan, Sarah, Zoey, Georgia and Augie; and two great-grandchildren, Emmaleigh and Dominic.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Albert Frank Shank Sr. and Jeanette Dorothy (Bown) Shank.