HENRY THOMAS DAUNT

HENRY THOMAS DAUNT
March 30, 1917 ~ January 1, 2008

MONTEREY – We are saddened to report the peaceful passing of Henry Thomas Achilles Wilson O'Neill Daunt at the age of 90. Tom was born on March 30, 1917 in Middlesex, England and died on January 1, 2008 in Monterey, California in the arms of his beloved wife of 60 years, Germaine Mary Daunt.
   Tom is survived by his wife and three children: son, Robert Thomas Daunt (daughter-in-law, Donna and grandson, Colin Robert Daunt) of Pacific Grove, California; son, Philip John Daunt (daughter-in-law, Heidi, grandson, Trevor Acton Daunt and granddaughter, Alora Juliana Daunt) of Monterey; and daughter, Jacqueline Ann (Daunt) Decker (son-in-law, Ronald Glenn Decker) of White City, Oregon.
   Tom, the son of Achilles Daunt and Elizabeth (Dey) Daunt, grew up in British Columbia, Canada. He had three older sisters, Dorothea, Florence, and Margaret, and a younger brother, Acton, all of whom predeceased him. When Tom was growing up, he loved the high desert caribou country of the interior of British Columbia. He studied at University of British Columbia and received a BA in Math and History in 1939. After graduation, he joined the British Colonial Service, where he served in the Gold Coast of Africa for two years. Upon his return to Canada, he joined the Royal Canadian Air Force. With the end of World War II, Tom went to Washington, D.C., where he joined the UN Relief and
Rehabilitation Association and UN International Refugee Organization.
He was posted to Bavaria in southern Germany in the U.S. Zone of occupation, where he helped repatriate and relocate refugees from the Second World War. While serving in Germany he met his wife, Germaine Mary Vanwayenbergh, who was working as a Medical Officer for the UN. Germaine had been born and raised in Belgium, where she had worked as a registered nurse and public health nurse. They married on July 2, 1947 and their first child, Robert Thomas Daunt, was born in Germany in 1949. They moved back to British Columbia in 1951, where their second son, Philip John Daunt, was born. Two years later, they moved to Flint, Michigan, where Tom was employed as a quality control automotive engineer with General Motors Corporation until his retirement in 1977, and where their third child, Jacqueline Ann Daunt was born in 1953. Tom moved his family to Lapeer, Michigan in 1962, where he built a home in an old apple orchard and he and his family enjoyed a quiet rural life. After retirement from General Motors, Tom spent the next decade working on the repair and restoration of Kilcascan Castle, the family home in West Cork, Ireland. In 1989, Tom and Germaine bought a parcel of land in Monterey, backing on Veteran's Park where Tom built their final home and where he died in the arms of his loving wife on New Years Day.
   Tom Daunt was a brilliant renaissance man, with very broad interests, from engineering and the building trades to history and international affairs. He was fascinated with how things worked. He loved to share what he knew, teaching his children how to rebuild an old car, construct a hardwood cabinet, build a stone fireplace, lay a slate roof 40 feet in the air, or install electricity into a 200-year old house. He was renowned in the family for his chocolate birthday cakes and the world's best waffles. He had a life-long love of different cultures and traveling to foreign lands. He loved to rent a car and drive down the road less traveled, exploring little-known spots. He always preferred the small towns and villages to large cities. Later in life, he enjoyed cruising on the Marco Polo to the four corners of the world. His passing leaves a hole in the heart of those who knew him.
   A private memorial service was held by the family. No flowers are requested. If you would like to make a contribution in Tom Daunt's name, the family would suggest the VNA Hospice in Monterey. Expressions of love and compassion may be sent to Germaine Daunt, 10 Cramden Drive, Monterey, CA 93940. Arrangements were by The Paul Mortuary of Pacific Grove.