Thomas Joseph “Tom” Verbos, Sr., 76, of Kenosha, passed away unexpectedly on Monday, January 26, 2015, at Aurora Medical Center in Kenosha. Born in Ironwood, MI, on April 3, 1938, he was the son of the late Joseph Verbos, Sr. and late Evelyn (Kauppi) Engstrom. He was educated in the schools of Gogebic County Michigan, and moved to Kenosha in the late 1950's. On February 8, 1964, he married Janice Mason at Grace Lutheran Church in Kenosha. Tom worked for American Motors and retired from Chrysler Corporation after 42 years of service. He spent a majority of those years serving as a union steward. In his spare time, he enjoyed tinkering on cars. He enjoyed hunting and fishing, but, most of all, he enjoyed spending time with his children and grandchildren. Survivors include Tom's wife of nearly 51 years, Janice Verbos; son, Thomas (Michelle) Verbos, Jr. of Chilton; daughter, Michele (Robert) Ruffolo of Pleasant Prairie; granddaughter, Emily Verbos of Pleasant Prairie; grandson, Leo Thomas Ruffolo of Pleasant Prairie; two step-granddaughters, Megan and Mallory Odekirk of Chilton; five brothers, Joseph (Jean) Verbos of Bessemer, MI, Gerald Verbos of Kenosha, and Richard, Roger and Zach Engstrom of Milford, MI; two sisters, Joanne Brown of Racine, WI, and Dianne (Peter) Verros of Clarkston, MI; and several other relatives and friends. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Joseph and Florence Verbos and Evelyn and Frank Engstrom. Visitation will be held on Friday, January 30th, at Proko Funeral Home from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the memorial service at 12:00 p.m. Interment will follow at All Saints Cemetery. In lieu of flowers, memorials to American Heart Association would be appreciated by the family.Proko Funeral Home & Crematory5111-60th StreetKenosha, WI 53144Phone: (262) 654-3533Visit Tom's Online Memorial Book at:www.prokofuneralhome.com
Condolences
John Newman
February 14, 2015
I' checking in a little late here on Valentines Day, but better late then never I guess. I got the news of cousin Tom's passing on from the Ironwood Daily Globe website a few days ago. It was very emotionally overwhelming and I have had a very tuff time coping with the reality Tom has passed on. Today is the Day of Hearts & Love and I never knew a finer man than Cousin Tom. What do you say about a man who had a heart of gold and had the greatest Love for his wife, family and friends? I say he lived his life right and had 76 GOOD years with all of us. I think if Cousin Tom could get another message to all of us it would be " He had the Time of his Life!" If you were able to experience the 1950's, 60's & 70's you got a pretty good understanding about what Life's about. Everytime you saw Tom and Jan comming, you knew something good was going to happen! We were all truly blessed to have time with Tom in our lives as a family member. His image, meaning, and legacy will always live on in our hearts! God Bless You Tom!
Phil & Kathy Anastasi
January 28, 2015
Jan and the entire family we can not express our deepest sorrow for the loss of a great man. Tommy was truly a dedicated, determined, hard working union representative. He was a person you could always count on to do the right thing and help everyone. He may have been small in stature but his heart and courage was that of a lion. I learned a lot from Tommy about being a representative by not only his knowledge but his actions. He was truly a man of the people. We will miss immensely and we will think of him often.
Dave and Josephine Berman
January 27, 2015
Deepest sympathy.......Great Man, he will be deeply missed.