Tom Hosch

Lawrence 'Tom' Hosch Tom was born on February 9th, 1941 in Litchfield, Minnesota. His parents were Lawrence “Larry” Clement and Margaret Mary Hosch. He was the second of four children, Frank, Greg, and Mary. He was raised in Columbia Heights, attended Immaculate Conception School primary school and attended Columbia Heights High School, graduating in 1958. He worked in a print shop as a type setter after school, learning much about the printing process and the machines. He began working on the street department for the City of Columbia Heights in July, 1959. Tom was always interested in cars, and started learning how to make simple repairs. One of Tom’s mentors who also worked at the city, Mel Osterberg, introduced him to Joan Duntley. Tom and Joan fell in love and soon were engaged to be married. During this time, Tom was drafted for service in the U.S. Army and left home in November 1963. Tom served the Army for two years in Munich, Germany, becoming a radio technician. During this time, he purchased a 1956 Volkswagen Beetle, and would travel around the country when he was on leave. During a special time, his brother Frank came and visited him, and they toured many Southern European countries in the Volkswagen. He maintained the Volkswagen until he left Germany, and the car had over 300,000 Kilometers when he sold it. During his service, he also made many life-long friends. After returning from Germany, he and Joan married in May of 1966. They lived briefly in an apartment in Fridley before purchasing their home of 36 years in Columbia Heights. Tom also resumed his employment with the City of Columbia Heights and applied for a public works mechanic position. He got the job and began learning to repair basically every piece of equipment that the city owned, from lawn mowers to road graders, fire engines and police cars. Tom was a self-taught mechanic who could literally fix almost anything and eventually became the shop foreman. He worked for the city for 38 years, retiring in February 1997. He spent many nights after work helping others with their car repairs. He really enjoyed helping others and repairing things that were broken down. He was always the go-to guy for numerous friends, neighbors and his family. He had many hobbies, including photography, developing his own film, hunting and fishing. He and his brother and two other friends formed the Hyland Flyers flying club. The club operated out of the Anoka County Airport, where they built their own maintenance hangar and maintained a large paid membership and nine aircraft. They raised four boys, Mike, Steve (Teno), Bill, and Andy and a dog, Schwartz. During this time, Tom, Jo and the boys participated in Cub Scouting, with Tom eventually becoming a Cub Scout Cubmaster. He was very active in the Cub and Boy Scouts, becoming a well-respected district leader serving for many years. He donated lots of time and energy to the Challenger District for Boy Scouts with special needs, organizing all sorts of events and the district camporee. His volunteering never stopped – raising money/food donations for several organizations and countless other charitable events. When the kids were growing up, camping became increasingly important and being outdoors was a focal point. In June 1980 the family took the family tent trailer and went on a month-long camping trip to California, up the West coast, into Canada and back home, traveling over 8000 miles! Our family spent many summer vacations at Scenic and Bear Head Lake State Parks in Northern Minnesota. Tom joined the Columbia Heights Fire Department as a volunteer paid-on-call firefighter in April, 1970. During his service he helped many people and saved lives. He became an Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), making many life-long friends and attaining the position of Captain. He was severely burned once during a fire where a back draft occurred in the basement of a home fire and he and another fire fighter were blown up the basement stairs and out the back door of the home. He missed parts of many family gatherings and holidays, but always was happy to have been helping other people. He served on the fire department for 20 years, retiring in August, 1990. Tom enjoyed traveling and the planning for the big trips. Tom took several more trips back to southern Europe during the 80s and early 2000s as a civilian tourist. Tom and Jo enjoyed many good years with their children: Mike, Teno, Bill, and Andy, their spouses, Jane, Ann, Michelle, and special friend Jenny, and grandchildren: Katie, Nick, Bobby, Melissa, Johnny, Tommy, Amy, Amanda, Jason, and great grandchild, Amy’s daughter Audrey. Tom had an older brother Frank who passed away in 2012. Tom has a younger brother Greg (Karen) and a younger sister, Mary (John). Tom has a niece Kari and nephews, John, Peter, Chris, Larry, and a large extended family. He took care of his son Mike during multiple bouts with cancer. He was like a second doctor, providing physical and mental therapy, and was a strong advocate. Again, he was a “Dad” like no other. In 1998, Jo found out that she had multiple myeloma. Tom again switched into gear and tried his absolute very best to support her every need. However, even with Tom’s excellent care, Jo passed away in November of 2002. Tom was a life-long member of the Catholic Church, attending Mass every Sunday, even when he was camping or hunting and away from his home parish. He was an usher at Epiphany Catholic Church and also enjoyed being part of the Knights of Columbus. Tom especially enjoyed contributing to the service part of the organization. After a short while, Tom met Kathy Pattock. Kathy had also lost her spouse and the two had known each other in high school. Tom and Kathy were married in April 2004. They sold their respective homes and bought a home together in Andover, MN. As Kathy recalls, Tom was a very kind and giving man and a gentle giant. He was always ready and willing to help others. They had many fun times at the cabin with family and friends. Tom enjoyed spending time with Kathy’s family including Brian (Carol), Tim (Amy) and Tracy (Mike) and their respective children Andrew, David, Emma, Joe, Noah, and Sam. Tom was the planner for many trips, whether it be to Europe or the United States. He loved to travel and we always had other people who went with us. He was the guide and driver when we got to Las Vegas, going to places like Red Rock Canyon. Kathy and Tom resided in Andover until the onset of Tom’s Lewy Body dementia. They transitioned to Epiphany Pines in January 2018 where they stayed until Tom’s condition worsened. Tom eventually had to move to a memory care facility and moved to The Willows at Arbor Lakes where he lived until his death. In the last year, you may have found Tom trying to “fix” something in his room like his wheelchair, the walker, the bed, the table, etc. as it was part of who he was. Tom passed away on Saturday, March 20th, at 11:30am. Thank goodness for the memories. He will be dearly missed.

Tributes

Tom Hosch

February 9, 1941 - March 20, 2021

Tributes

Tom Hosch

February 9, 1941 - March 20, 2021

We are here for you 24x7

Call us and get help now

(612) 377-2203