Tommy M. Housh was born Dec. 26, 1930, in Kansas City, Missouri, to Miles and Maude Ann (Miner) Housh. He was their fifth of six children and the last of his generation.
He is preceded in death by sisters Edna, Clara, Elizabeth, Bettie Lou and brother, Gerald. He lived in Kansas City, Missouri, until his freshman year of high school, then the family moved with his mother and brother to Reserve, Kansas, to care for his aging grandfather.
Tom graduated in Reserve in 1948. After graduation, a school buddy and his older brother convinced him to enlist in the Air Force with them. During the testing and recruitment process, a sergeant asked Tom if he’d like to become a radio operator, and he jumped at the chance. What he didn’t know was that the sergeant had drafted him into the army, not the air force. He and his friends parted there. Even so, he described the experience as the “first best thing” that ever happened to him. He wound up serving in several domestic stations and finally was transferred to Okinawa during the Korean conflict, where he served the remainder of his time as a radio operator. He was a member of the ASA.
Upon his discharge, he returned to Kansas and found work as a depot agent for the CB&Q Railroad, which utilized his army radio and telegraph experience. It was during that time he met his future wife, Loretta Raney, and it was love at first sight, which he described as the “second best thing that ever happened.” They married in 1954 and raised three children.
Tom’s railroad career continued for the next 40 years, working in numerous railroad stations around southeast Nebraska until he finally retired in Crete as one of the last depot agents in Nebraska, as the times had changed. Retirement allowed Tom and Loretta to travel extensively and participate fully in their children’s and grandchild’s lives. He passed away Feb. 21, 2023, in Hereford, Arizona.
Tom is also predeceased in death by his daughter, Judy, and granddaughter, Melissa. He is survived by his wife, Loretta; daughter, Pamela; and son, Michael, and lots of nieces and nephews.
A Celebration of Life was March 4. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are suggested to the Alzheimer’s Association, the American Cancer Society or the International Rett Syndrome Foundation.