James Thomas Lapsley Jr.

LAPSLEY, James Thomas Jr. - Better known to all as Tom Lapsley, passed away in Walnut Creek on Tuesday, September 27, 2005. He was 86 years young. He was a devoted husband and father. For over 30 years Tom was a professor of mechanical engineering at UC Berkeley and served as associate dean of the College of Engineering for the last decade of his career. An engineer to the core, Tom's personal motto was succinct: "never use a 2x4 if a 4x6 can fit." Born January 19, 1919 in Lancaster, CA, to James Thomas Lapsley, Sr., and Mildred Bailey, both of Kentucky, Tom was reared in Burbank until moving permanently to northern California to attend UC Berkeley. He was later to claim that he had begun heading north as soon as he could crawl. Tom received his B.S. and M.S. degrees in engineering, and joined the faculty at Berkeley in 1944. In 1945 he married Lucille May Johnson and together they raised a family of three sons in Lafayette. Following Lucille's death in 1983, Tom married Muriel Durand of Walnut Creek in 1985. For almost 20 years they enjoyed each other's love and company, both at her home in Walnut Creek and while traveling the world together. Tom Lapsley experienced a rich and full life. He is survived by his wife, Muriel Durand of Walnut Creek; by his three sons, James Thomas Lapsley III of Woodland, Lawrence Richard Lapsley of Santa Rosa, and Philip Dean Lapsley of Palo Alto; and by four grandchildren: Grace Marie Perry of San Diego, Jakob Cole Lapsley of Woodland and Jonathan Thomas Lapsley and Janis Marie Lapsley of Santa Rosa. A private Celebration of Tom's life is planned for friends and family.