Thomas J "Tom" Kleespies

Dr. Thomas J. Kleespies, 73, of Loveland, Colorado passed away peacefully at home on December 15, 2025. A cherished husband, father, grandfather, brother and friend, he will be missed dearly by many.

Born July 22, 1952, in Osage, Iowa, to Joseph and Mary Kleespies, Thomas Joseph Kleespies was the middle of five children. As a young boy, his family moved to Seattle before settling in Walla Walla, Washington. Tom excelled in football, track, and debate at DeSales Catholic High School. His family owned the legendary Ice-Burg Drive-In, where he and his siblings worked.

Tom attended the University of Washington, graduating in 1974 with a Bachelor of Science in Atmospheric Sciences. He earned his Master of Science in Atmospheric Sciences from Colorado State University in 1977 and later completed his Ph.D. in Meteorology at the University of Utah in 1994.

During his undergraduate years, Tom developed a passion for skydiving and became a jump master, completing 410 successful jumps.

It was at the University of Washington, in Kane Hall during Anthropology 100, that he sat next to a cute girl named Laurie. He asked her out, and she became the love of his life and best friend. They dated in 1977 in Washington, D.C., as Laurie attended Walter Reed Army Institute of Nursing and Tom worked for a NASA contractor. After Laurie graduated as an Army nurse, she was transferred to Fort Leonard Wood, Missouri, while Tom moved to Monterey, California, to work as a Research Meteorologist for the Naval Environmental Prediction Research Facility.

On April 1, 1979, Tom asked Laurie to marry him. Thankfully, it was not a joke. They married quietly on May 25, 1979, at San Francisco City Hall with friends in attendance, celebrating afterward with champagne and Twinkies by the reflection pond. A church ceremony with family and friends followed in Seattle on September 1, 1979. The couple happily celebrated both anniversaries every year thereafter.

Their daughter, Katherine, was born in 1983, followed by their son Andrew in 1984. Later that year, the family moved from California to Massachusetts so Tom could work as a Research Meteorologist with the Air Force Geophysics Laboratory. Tragically, Andrew passed away in 1985. Their son Patrick was born in 1987, completing their family.

After a brief year in Salt Lake City while Tom completed his Ph.D., and three more years in Massachusetts, the family settled in Maryland, where Tom found his dream job as a Physical Scientist at the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration / National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NOAA/NESDIS). He loved attending conferences around the world, making friends in every corner of the globe, and bringing his family along whenever possible.

As his children grew older, Tom became the official meteorologist for the award-winning local high school marching band. Drawing on his love of astronomy, he also created a beloved Halloween tradition, inviting trick-or-treaters to look through a telescope at the moon or planets before receiving their candy. An avid chef, Tom enjoyed whipping up delicious meals, especially pizzas, for friends and family when not timing himself on the latest crossword puzzle.

After 33 years of federal service, Tom retired in 2011. He and Laurie traveled extensively, enjoying expedition cruises, visiting all seven continents, and observing and photographing thousands of species of birds. The year 2014 was especially meaningful, as they built their forever home in Loveland, Colorado, complete with a custom kitchen for him and a custom wood shop for her, and welcomed their grandson, Zachary Andrew.

Tom is survived by his loving wife of 46 years, Laurie Kleespies (Loveland, Colorado); his daughter Katherine Kidwell (Adam) and grandson Zack Kidwell (Edmonds, Washington); and his son Patrick Kleespies (Rachel) (Severn, Maryland). He is also survived by his siblings, Beth Hagenauer (Larry), Tim Kleespies (Joyce), John Kleespies, and Carol Clupny (Charlie). Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Joe and Mary, and his son Andrew.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to your local NPR station or Cornell Lab of Ornithology