Thomas A. Maginn
On Saturday, April 5th Thomas A. Maginn, 90, died peacefully at home in Upland, CA surrounded by his wife Frances and two of his three children.
Tom was born to his parents Eva and Arthur Maginn on May 23, 1923 in Lima, Ohio. The family moved to Erie, Pa. where Tom graduated from Strong Vincent High School before joining the Army Air Corps in WWII.
Flying out of a base in northern Africa Tom flew several flights as a navigator/bombardier on a heavy bomber. On one mission over Italy his bomber was shot down and Tom after hiding for several hours in a corn field was taken in by Italian Allied sympathizers who helped him make contact and fight with the Italian Resistance. After missing in action for six months Tom, with the help of a guide crossed the Alps and was later repatriated.
After separating from the service Tom married his high school sweetheart, Joyce Coleman. Tom then attended and graduated from Gannon College in Erie, now Gannon University. It was in Erie that he and Joyce began raising a family of four children: Michael (deceased in 1995), Mark in Chicago, IL, Melinda in Jacksonville, OR and Chris in Pleasant Hill, CA.
After graduation from Gannon Tom took a position with General Electric Co. that took the family to Louisville, KY, Decatur, IL, and Claremont, CA. After retiring from General Electric Tom accepted a position with Alcon in southern California, a company that manufactured delicate ocular surgical instruments. In 1995 Tom went into final retirement.
After his marriage to Joyce ended Tom married the love of his life, Frances Phillips Fiske in Upland, CA in 1979 giving Tom and Frances 35 years of a loving, adventurous and friend filled life together.
Outside of work Tom was an avid tennis player from high school until his mid-eighties. He loved riding his ten speed bike daily until he retired the bike with his tennis racket. For many years he had an adored sailboat that he sailed out of Dana Point, CA.
In the last years of his life Frances enjoyed library books and her catalogues in the living room while Tom read seemingly every newspaper in print. Tom was well informed and loved to defend his political and cultural ideas he formed from his extensive reading.
Tom was a grandfather to six grandchildren, Russ Maginn in Chico, CA. Cassandra Smith of Brooklyn, NY,, Jillian and Delaney Maginn of Pleasant Hill, CA., Patrick Maginn of Pasadena, CA and Kevin Maginn of Seattle WA and two great grandchildren Robin and Killian Maginn. Tom's big heart included Frances' children, Holly Pizzo and Jeffrey Fiske and was grandfather to Mindy and Alex Pizzo and great grandfather to Emma and Ezekiel Nayanet.
Funeral/Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, April 10th at 1:30 pm at Saint Mark's Episcopal Church, 330 E 16th St, Upland, Calif.