Thomas Fowler Stark

Thomas F. Stark, a husband, father, and brother, living in Poulsbo, Washington, died December 11, 2023. He was 82.

Tom was born July 20, 1941, in Tulsa, Oklahoma to Ernst Fowler and Clara Stark. He graduated from Ferguson High School near St. Louis, Missouri in 1959 and received a degree in ceramic engineering from the University of Missouri School of Mines in 1963. He and his twin brother, Jim, graduated from the U.S. Navy’s Officer Candidate School in Newport, Rhode Island on November 22, 1963.

Tom served in the Seabees from 1963 to 1968. He was deployed to Vietnam, Cuba, and Newfoundland as a Company Commander between 1963 and 1966, and served in Washington, D.C., at the Naval Facilities Engineering Command until an honorable discharge at the rank of Lieutenant in 1968.

He married Beverly Ann Frost in Ferguson on December 11, 1965. After moving from Rhode Island to Virginia with the Navy, they settled in Toledo, Ohio in 1968. They adopted two children, Jeffrey Thomas Stark, in 1972, and Rebecca Ann Stark, in 1976, both born in Toledo.

From 1968 to 1978 Tom worked as a glass engineer at Libbey-Owens-Ford. In 1978 the family moved to Littleton, Colorado, and Tom worked as a fiberglass engineer at Johns Manville until retiring in 2006. His name is on four United States patents for furnace design.

He was passionate about sports and the sporting life. He ran track in high school, cross country in college, and as an adult enjoyed skiing, golf, and racquetball. He was an Eagle Scout as a boy and loved camping and the outdoors -- especially fishing. He also loved to follow professional sports. He was a longtime fan of the Denver Broncos, the Colorado Rockies, and the Colorado Avalanche.

In 2007 he and Ann moved to Grand Lake, Colorado. They built a house and joined a community of dear friends at the edge of Rocky Mountain National Park. They moved to Poulsbo, Washington in 2016 to be closer to family.

He was an active and dedicated member of many churches, including South Suburban Christian Church in Littleton, the Trinity Church in the Pines in Grand Lake, and Central Kitsap Presbyterian Church.

In 2004 he was diagnosed with Parkinson's disease but endured with help from his friends, family, and Ann, who Tom called "the best caregiver in the world.”

The disease attacked his body, but not his sense of humor. He was quick with a joke, and later in life could get a laugh with just a sideways glance. He held onto a knack for drawing, remained proud of his military service, and, true to his life as an engineer, always liked to know how things worked. His curiosity helped drive him. He said he fought so hard to live because he “wanted to find out what happened.”

He is survived by his wife of 58 years, Beverly Ann; as well as his son Jeff; daughter-in-law Chelsea Wagner-Stark; sister Marye Anne Read; brother-in-law Emerson Read; sister-in-law Barbara Stark, nephews Steven Stark, Michael Stark, William Read, and James Read; nieces-in-law Kris Stark, Karen Mockler, and Jennifer Burke; and grandnephews and grandnieces Ethan Stark, Natalie Stark, Bridget Stark, Henry Stark, Isaac Stark, Carson Read, and Michael Read. He was preceded in death by his daughter, Becky, his brother, Jim, and his nephew, Peter.

A service will be held at Central Kitsap Presbyterian Church at 4 p.m. on Friday, December 22, 2023. Donations can be made to the Central Kitsap Presbyterian Church Memorial Fund or the Michael J. Fox Foundation.

Arrangements are entrusted to Cook Family Funeral Home of Bainbridge Island, WA