Thomas T. Trent

1949 - 2018

Thomas T. Trent December 16, 1949 - January 11, 2018 La Mesa Thomas (Tom) Trent, age 68, died on January 11, 2018, from cardiac sarcoma. Tom was the son of Donald Trent of Fairfax, Oklahoma, and Wilma Schalle of Raunheim, Germany. Born into a U.S. Army family, he was raised in France, Germany, and numerous states. Football was a major force in Tom's early life, from most valuable player of his Pop Warner team to all-star linebacker for the local Morse H.S. Tigers. He also excelled at academics and earned an M.A. degree in Sociology. Tom was a self-made man, working many jobs -- from car washer to woodworker to bus driver to special education instructor -- before settling into a 25-year career as a personnel Research Psychologist at a U.S. Navy laboratory. At home, he was a consummate tradesman, demonstrating expertise in carpentry, tiling, plumbing, and electrical work as he transformed a modest fixer-upper into a charming, snug retreat. Retirement opened more time for travel and hiking trips, which he thoroughly enjoyed. He was a keen observer of life, an abstract thinker, a courageous, buoyant spirit, and a very kind and gentle man, beautiful inside and out. The final months of Tom's life were among his happiest, he said, celebrating new-found depth of love and devotion to his wife Linda, who loved him dearly and will miss him more than words can say. He was predeceased by his parents and 10 aunts and uncles. He is survived by his wife of 30 years, Linda, sisters Peggy Trent and Patricia Wilson, brother Gary Trent, uncle Henry Schalle, and nephews Loren and Scott Wilson. It was Tom's wish that there be no memorial service.