Thomas R. Stoppenbach, formerly of Watertown, Wisconsin, passed away Sunday morning, December 8, 2013 at the Good Samaritan Home in Quincy, Illinois. Tom was born on July 17, 1923, in Watertown, Wisconsin, a son of Viola (formerly Griep) and Reed Stoppenbach. He was the oldest of five children. Tom was a 1941 graduate of Watertown Senior High School. He was employed by the G.B. Lewis Company in Watertown prior to his entry into the military. Tom served in the U.S. Army during WWII in the 82nd Airborne Division Glider Troops. He was captured in Holland and held as a POW at several different German POW camps in Germany until liberation by the United States Army near the end of the war. After being liberated by General George Patton’s troops, he was transferred to Camp Lucky Strike in France eventually coming home to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. After WWII, he attended and graduated from La Crosse State Teachers College in La Crosse, Wisconsin. On September 3, 1950, Tom married the former Lillian Heinrich of Watertown in a double-wedding ceremony with her twin sister, Olive and fiancé, Dayton Powers. Lillian preceded Tom in death in 2007. Tom and Lillian had three children together. Tom taught school in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for three years. He then returned to Watertown where he was employed as a Letter Carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for 26 years when he retired. Tom was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Lillian; his brothers, William and Charles Stoppenbach; his sisters, Colleen Guetzlaff and Patsy Bigelow.
Thomas R. Stoppenbach, formerly of Watertown, Wisconsin, passed away Sunday morning, December 8, 2013 at the Good Samaritan Home in Quincy, Illinois. Tom was born on July 17, 1923, in Watertown, Wisconsin, a son of Viola (formerly Griep) and Reed Stoppenbach. He was the oldest of five children. Tom was a 1941 graduate of Watertown Senior High School. He was employed by the G.B. Lewis Company in Watertown prior to his entry into the military. Tom served in the U.S. Army during WWII in the 82nd Airborne Division Glider Troops. He was captured in Holland and held as a POW at several different German POW camps in Germany until liberation by the United States Army near the end of the war. After being liberated by General George Patton’s troops, he was transferred to Camp Lucky Strike in France eventually coming home to Camp McCoy, Wisconsin. After WWII, he attended and graduated from La Crosse State Teachers College in La Crosse, Wisconsin. On September 3, 1950, Tom married the former Lillian Heinrich of Watertown in a double-wedding ceremony with her twin sister, Olive and fiancé, Dayton Powers. Lillian preceded Tom in death in 2007. Tom and Lillian had three children together. Tom taught school in Sturgeon Bay, Wisconsin for three years. He then returned to Watertown where he was employed as a Letter Carrier for the U.S. Postal Service for 26 years when he retired. Tom was preceded in death by his parents; his wife, Lillian; his brothers, William and Charles Stoppenbach; his sisters, Colleen Guetzlaff and Patsy Bigelow.
Family Members
Sponsored by Ancestry
Advertisement
Advertisement
