Thomas D. Loden

Loden, Thomas D. Was born on June 12, 1945, in Lannon, WI, to John Loden and Helen Grgich. After graduating from Waukesha South in 1963, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force during the VietNam conflict and was Honorably Discharged in 1969, and moved to Los Angeles shortly after. Tom worked for many years for Pacific Bell before retiring in the early 90's. High School friends still talk about his dancing prowess at the "Attic" and his outgoing personality. Tom was a lifeguard and was fond of Scrima's Pizza, Jimmy's Grotto, Sunset Bowl, and was forever a devoted Green Bay Packer fan. He had a strong dislike for "hard heading", a family business. In LA, Tom enjoyed playing bid whist with friends, debating current news and loved discussing politics. He loved the Lakers but sometimes would not watch close playoff games for fear of jinxing his team. He earned his Bachelor of Arts degree in Political Science from California State University, Los Angeles. His favorite place to travel was San Francisco and he always frequented his Italian restaurants. He loved cooking Italian foods, especially spaghetti carbonara. Other favorites were spareribs with sauerkraut or a thick ribeye steak. His favorite dessert was cheesecake. He was a long time subscriber at the Mark Taper Theater and relished long discussions about plays and films. Tom looked forward each year to Thanksgiving visits with his family to discuss the latest Harry Potter book with his nieces, whom he doted on, and to take them to the holiday Harry Potter movie release. Tom was a volunteer for youth reading program, a neighborhood senior center and for several years at "Being Alive", where he created and maintained an expansive flower and shrub garden. He was preceded in death by his parents, and is survived by his brothers and sisters, John, Mary, Judi, Dan, David and Marc, along with many nephews, nieces and cousins. Tom's friends and family will gather for a Celebration of his life on Saturday, June 25, from 1PM to 6PM at John Loden's home, 714 Mapleway North, Waukesha WI. "I do common things uncommonly well"