Thomas James Ager passed away peacefully in his sleep, Jan. 26, 2013 at Home Place in Oak Harbor, Washington. Tom was born in Spokane, Washington, July 30, 1918 to Tom and Sophie Ager. He attended West Valley High School in Spokane, began college studies at Washington State College (now WSU), and transferred to the U. of W. He joined the Navy in 1942 and, while stationed at Lakehurst, N.J., he married Lilly Lawseth in Brooklyn, N.Y . He spent the rest of WWII at Dutch Harbor and San Francisco.

Tom made a career as an aerographer in the U.S. Navy. Some of his duty stations included: Guam, Sand Point (Seattle), Sasebo (Japan), Post Graduate School (Monterrey, CA) Guam (again); retiring at Whidbey, NAS. He loved the travel and adventure of Navy life. Following military service, Tom completed a degree at Eastern near Spokane, and worked for several years for the IRS. He then pursued a Masters Degree at Eastern before moving back to Oak Harbor.

At 94, Tom had outlived most of his friends, and will be missed most especially by his wife, 4 children, 8 grandchildren, and 4 great grandchildren. He is survived by his loving wife of almost 70 years, Lilly; his children; Dianne Wills (Kent), Nancy Thompson (Bill), Thomas Ager (Christina), and Kristin Brown (Ed).

The family thinks of him as a Renaissance Man who had a wide variety of both intellectual and practical interests–he rode his bike daily until he was almost 90. Tom lived a long and full life, surrounded by a loving and close-knit family; and, according to his wishes, there will be no funeral services except for a private memorial with his wife and children.