Thomas Bruce "Tom" Kass

Thomas "Tom" Bruce Kass was born August 3, 1953, in Odessa, Texas passed away on April 16, 2025, in his home in Knoxville, Tennessee, surrounded by family. While it's hard to briefly encapsulate Tom, he was a gentle, resilient, and goofy man who was so loved by those in his life. Tom studied agricultural engineering at Texas Tech University and served in the U.S. Army. Tom initially began his career in agricultural engineering but then transitioned to retail. In his work, he was often a valued mentor and friend. In his personal time, Tom was a man who was always working on things. He loved home improvement, woodworking, enjoying nature, hiking, playing basketball, working out, and helping out everyone he came across. He is renowned as the neighborhood Mr. Fix It and built a beautiful community of those he cared for. He always had a bad dad joke ready for any situation.
Tom has been preceded in death by his mother Lorraine, father Matthew, brother Don, sister Deb, and, most recently, his beloved dog Keira. Tom was a loving father and husband and survived by his wife, Susie, daughter Nicole, son-in-law Carl, and his cherished friend Matt Klinkosh.
Thank you to Tom's extraordinary care teams at the University of Tennessee Medical Center and The University of Tennessee Hospice Care. Thank you for the invaluable help we received from Julia at the UT Cancer Institute.
Memorials can be made to:
Pancreatic Cancer Action Network: https://PanCAN (Pancreatic Cancer Action Network).org/
American Eagle Foundation: https://eagles.org/
Small Breeds Rescue of East Tennessee: https://sbret.com/
Please do not send flowers. If you feel inclined to send something growing and beautiful, Tom loved maintaining the yard, he loved trees and plants and would be honored with a tree donated in his memory: https://www.plantmemorialtree.com/ https://www.treesknoxville.org/giftatree https://shop.alivingtribute.org/products/plant-a-tree-tennessee
If you have any questions or would like to inquire about funeral arrangements, please contact the funeral home directly (865-694-3500).