Thomas W. Pitkin

Thomas W. Pitkin

Tom made his last sarcastic (and probably wildly inappropriate) comment on November 17, 2019. He passed peacefully to one of his favorite songs, "Peaceful, Easy Feeling" by the Eagles.

Tom was born on March 25, 1936, the oldest son of Caryll and Mildred Pitkin, and grew up in San Marino, Ca. After college graduation, Tom joined the Marine Corps, learned to fly helicopters, and was given the nickname "Tailspin Tommy" which followed him for years. He was considered an ace pilot (so he said), and was hired by Air America right out of the Corps to fly helicopters in Thailand for their covert operations.

Tom married Sandy Brown in 1963, and immediately became a father to Sandy's two young daughters, Wendy and Valerie. In 1964 the four of them moved to Thailand for Tom's Air America adventure. His son Jerold was born in Bangkok in 1965. After crashing in the jungles of Laos and missing in action for two days, Tom decided it was time to bring his growing family back to California. His second son Douglas was born in 1967.

Tom joined the LA County Sheriff's Academy in 1967 and became a deputy sheriff, flying helicopters out of Long Beach until he transferred to Malibu. He worked out of the Malibu Cross Creek station, and headed up the Zuma Beach Team for many years - a position he really hated (NOT!) He had quite the reputation in Malibu - everyone knew "Tommy" - and he always had something clever (he thought) to say. He was a huge part of his son's lives - coaching them in Pop Warner Football, baseball, and any other sport they were involved in.

Tom retired in 1992 after 29 years, and he headed up the road to Ventura County (by way of Tucson,) ultimately settling in Ventura. He became a "fixture" in the downtown scene, spending many years on his "corner stool" at Winchester's and later Café Fiore, requesting his wine glass to be topped off "one more time." You were only a stranger once to Tom, and chances were you were given a nickname right off the bat, whether you wanted it or not - right, Tucson Tom? A special thanks to Maria, Anna, and their staff at Café Fiore for making him feel so welcome day after day in his later years.

Tom is survived by his four children - Wendy Spasiano, Valerie Barrett (Jeremy), Jerold Pitkin (Mari Barron-Pitkin), Douglas Pitkin (Jennifer), and 7 grandchildren - Chasen and Taylor Holden, Ethan and Cameron Barrett, Joshua Pain-Pitkin, Kyle Spasiano, and Nevin Pitkin. He is predeceased by his parents Caryll and Mildred, and his younger brother John.

The most heartfelt thank you to Mari and Jerry (Tom's son and daughter-in-law) for giving him the best of care and love, enabling him to stay in his home and keep the quality of life that was so important to him.

A celebration of Tom's life will be held Friday, November 29th from 4-6 p.m. on the patio at Café Fiore.

Please join us for one last "top off" and a toast to a life well lived. We love you, Dad!