Early that morning, the clouds lifted and the Aurora Borealis ushered him to heaven.

Tom and Cindy married in 1988 and for twelve years resided in Ohio on Ten Mile in New Richmond and in Terrace Park with sons Matthew and Rob. In 2000 they moved to Wasilla, Alaska, in the Matanuska Valley, which they have called home for more than twenty years and at which they have enjoyed unparalleled views of Chugach’s Pioneer Peak.

Several times Tom flew the Cessna “outside” of Alaska with Cindy and solo. In his truck camper, he logged thousands of miles on the Alaska Highway and across the lower forty-eight to visit with family, friends, and colleagues. There were trips to see Matthew, Rob, Alan, Karen, Gail, and Sharon and their families, including twelve grandchildren and one great granddaughter, and his parents and eight siblings, twenty-seven nieces and nephews, and forty grands! Some visits were about sorrows, such as the passing of his parents, but others were to celebrate weddings and new life as little ones arrived, or to celebrate family by spending time being Bubba with Adele and Jim, joining in on Francy’s famed family Christmas parties, and visiting kindred-spirit nephew, Nathan, in Montana. The Facetime, phone calls, letters, cards, and visits Tom received during the final weeks of his life were a tremendous source of joy, peace, and comfort to him.

Tom, the eldest of nine children was born on May 10, 1942, to Harry and Ruth Gastrich in New Richmond, Ohio. His early jobs, which he held down while in school, included working a muck fork, running a paper route, and working construction. In 1960, he graduated from New Richmond High School and went on to serve in the Ohio National Guard from 1962 to 1965, and in 1966, graduated from their basic engineering course. In 1964, he worked as a machinist at Cincinnati Milacron. Years later, he returned to school, and in 1976, he earned a Bachelor's of Arts degree in Communication at The Ohio State University.

Aviation was Tom’s vocation and first love. At Lunken Airport, with Bill Pinson and ten others, they formed the Kamikaze Club; they pooled their money to buy a Citabria, learned to fly, and later became ground and flight school instructors. Tom worked for TAS Aviation with John Shultz where they covered the Thursday-Sunday shift teaching ground and flight schools all over the United States. Tom’s career at Airborne Express (ABX) spanned twenty-four years, 1978 to 2002, where he flew and instructed on a Nihon YS-11 Turboprop. He traveled to Denmark in 1979 to train on his first jet, the Caravelle SE-210, which he flew as a first officer. Later as Captain he piloted the DC-8-63 (over 5000 hours), the DC-9 (seven years) and the B-767 as he closed his career at ABX.

In a word, Tom was curious and his inquisitiveness and keen intellect drove all his pursuits. His passion was aviation-be it piloting gliders, planes, helicopters, or balloons, or putting his skills as a master mechanic to work maintaining, building, and restoring planes. Tom was driven; he wanted to understand the intricacies of each part, machine, movement, and to master the requisite tool(s) for each task. Whatever he did, he was all in! He started his journey paddling a canoe and finished it in a sailboat. When he took up knitting, he learned to clean and card wool, then spin it into yarn, and then knit. Learning Spanish called for immersion in the language and culture via homestays in Mexico. He did not just volunteer to learn the art of sled dog care and mushing from Iditarod athletes, he mushed! When the master farriers at the Oklahoma State Farrier School took bets giving him a week, he proved his mettle.

For most of his life, Tom was a man of the "simple dairy products" (ice cream, cottage cheese, real cheese, a.k.a., not so-called cheese products, etc.); however, though initially skeptical, he became curious after witnessing Cindy’s plant-based transformation. He read up and plunged in. Sugar, dairy, meat, and oil became an anathema, and he lost nearly 80 pounds, was in the best shape of his life, and not on a single prescription.

His canine companions were dear to him. Meagan and Ellie girls have stayed behind with Cindy, but Ali, Reagan, and Max are on a long walk with him now.

Tom’s spiritual journey was fraught, and therefore hard-won. As a young person, he made a profession of Christian faith and was active in the church and Youth for Christ. He later parted ways with organized religion, but he never left behind the teachings of Christ—he was a principled man of integrity always in search of the truth. In his final years, he deeply contemplated his faith, and he came full circle in his beliefs and recommitted himself to Christ.