Obituary of Thomas A. VanDerMeid
Thomas A. VanDerMeid
ROCHESTER – Tom VanDerMeid went on to his heavenly home on April 25, 2020 at the age of 94. Originally from Livonia, NY, he grew up surrounded by a large extended family. Tom joined the military after his high school graduation and earned his wings as a Navy pilot during World War II. He graduated from the University of Michigan with a degree in Aeronautical Engineering.
Tom worked on photo reconnaissance satellites at Eastman Kodak Company from the early 1960s until 1984. Specializing in launch operations planning, he worked directly with spacecraft and Air Force personnel to plan and conduct launch pad operations at Vandenberg Air Force Base. In the early 1970s, Tom supervised the test engineering organization responsible for component and payload testing of the country’s most successful photo reconnaissance program. This was all top-secret so his family never knew about his work until after it was declassified in 2011. He retired from Eastman Kodak Company in 1988.
Tom married Virginia Amelia Ferriss “Ginny” (deceased) shortly after the war. In their fifty years of marriage they raised four children. His children called him, “Rock”, because of his strong and faithful love through even the most difficult of times. His grandchildren called him “Bapa”, and they loved him dearly.
Tom lived by the values of what has been called “The Greatest Generation”: hard work, thrift, love of country, faithfulness, and generosity. He loved to do things with his family including sailing their Sunfish on Lake Ontario and vacationing together. He was always up for an adventure. Family time was a priority for him. Tom was an amazing handyman who could fix almost anything. He grew up on a muck farm and working with the soil was in his soul. He was a passionate gardener all of his life.
His was a life well lived. Tom was a wonderful husband to both his first wife Ginny, and his second wife Phoebe Kauffman. We could not have asked for a better father or grandfather. He was extremely generous and was always willing to help those in need. Tom was also a faithful follower of Jesus Christ who modeled the Christian life in everything he said and did.
Tom was predeceased by his parents, John and Dorothy (Humphrey) VanDerMeid; brothers, Jack and Paul; wife, Virginia Ferriss; sons, Timothy Lester and Theodore John; son-in-law, Richard Newberg and granddaughter, Christina Newberg.
He is survived by his wife Phoebe, her children and grandchildren; sister, Doris Rahn; sisters-in-law, Nancy (Jack) and Ginger (Paul); son, Thomas Jr. (Mary), daughter, Virginia “Ginny”, daughter-in-law, Elaine (Tim); grandchildren, Jeremy, Jami, Jonathan, Justin, and Matt VanDerMeid, Amy Sugrue, and Alyssa and Thomas Newberg; numerous great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.
The family plans to have a celebration of Tom’s life in the Fall. A notice will be posted on the Miller Funeral and Cremation Services Website, www.miller1889.com. Memorial gifts may be given to The Rochester Presbyterian Home, 256 Thurston Road, Rochester, NY 14619 or Grace Covenant Church, 224 Chestnut Ridge Road, Rochester, 14624.
