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Thomas Beers Obituary
Beers, Thomas
SAN JOSE, Calif. - Tom was the eighth and last child of Alvin and Mary Romey Beers and was born in Beaver Dam, Wis., on Dec. 25, 1945. Three tough events happened in his life that did not make him bitter but definitely made him a character! His mother died at age 9 while his dad was busy running a small grocery and being the mayor of Beaver Dam; he lost his hair to alopecia at age 13 (long before baldness was hip); and he served in the Vietnam War (enough said).
He graduated from Beaver Dam High School in 1964 and served in the U.S. Army from 1966 to 1968. He attended the Brown Institute of Broadcasting in Minneapolis, and from that time on he had a deep love of music, collecting thousands of albums. When Tom moved to Hawaii, he worked as a pedicab driver and a security guard at the Art Museum in Honolulu and the International Marketplace. At times he was homeless but enjoyed the beach life.
In 2014 he moved back to the mainland to be close to his brother, Bob, in San Jose, Calif., and to enjoy his wife Carleen's good cooking. The VA provided him low cost senior housing and medical care, but he was not your average senior; Tom biked around the city at night wearing sunglasses and no bike lights, collecting found items to put in his backpack. He thankfully lived until age 75, when he died suddenly and peacefully of a heart attack, on June 16, 2021. We all loved his way with words (gonzo alliteration) and the gravelly voice reminiscent of his Dad.
Tom is predeceased by his siblings, John Beers, Mary Hebenstreit, Carol Bauer, Margaret Schulte Betts, and Joan Beers. He leaves two brothers, Bob (Carleen) and Bill (Pat) of Oconomowoc; his longtime Beaver Dam friend, Andy Sproule; and many, many nieces and nephews, whose generation he fit into better than his own. Tom also leaves behind many other characters whom he would talk to on the byways and highways of life and offer them a light and a friendly word.
A small service will be held at the VA Cemetery at Fort Ord, Calif. It is hard to forget someone like Tom!
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
Memories and Condolences
for Thomas Beers
1 Entry
John Starry
July 12, 2021
Tom was one of a kind. Have many fun memories from the old days in Beaver Dam. Rest easy old friend. Condolences to the Beers family.
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