Obituary of Thomas J. Bushmaker

Thomas J. Bushmaker, age 79, of Wisconsin Rapids, passed away Saturday, January 21, 2017, at his residence, after a long battle with many health issues. Services will be held 11:00 A.M. Saturday, January 28, 2017 at St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church in Wisconsin Rapids. Rev. Martin Baur will officiate. Visitation will be from 4:00 P.M. to 6:00 P.M. on Friday at Herman-Taylor Funeral Home in Wisconsin Rapids and from 10:00 A.M. until the time of services on Saturday at the church. Entombment will take place at a later date at Forest Hill Cemetery Mausoleum. Online condolences may be expressed at www.taylorfuneralhome.net. Tom was born December 15, 1937 in Wisconsin Rapids to Norbert and Helen (Appel) Bushmaker. He honorably served his country in the United States Air Force from 1955 to 1959, stationed at the Air Force Academy where he met a lovely girl named Donna Dewar. They went to church on their first date and were married on May 12, 1962 in Canon City, Colorado. He worked at Consolidated Papers Inc. Biron Division for 41 years. Tom enjoyed watching classic television shows like: The Andy Griffith Show, Gunsmoke, and Bonanza. He also spent time watching cooking shows on the Food Network. Tom was always interested in reading. In his earlier years, he could be seen doing yard work and roaming his property on his “rider.” Tom was a quiet, soft-spoken man with a big heart. He is loved and will be deeply missed. Tom is survived by his wife of 54 years, Donna; children: Laura (Dennis) Hamm of Anchorage, Alaska and Eric Bushmaker of Wisconsin Rapids (currently in Chile); grandchildren: Alexander and Andrew Hamm; a sister, Kay Young and her children: Elizabeth Kennedy, and Emily, Peter, and Jeremiah Young, all of California; and special cousin, Donna Smith, Wisconsin Rapids. He was preceded in death by his parents and a brother, Keith Bushmaker. In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to St. Paul’s Evangelical Lutheran Church Mortgage Fund.