Thomas Vincent McNamara

Thomas Vincent McNamara passed away Thursday, April 8, 2021 at the age of 98.

Born in Howell, Michigan on July 7, 1922, Tom was the son of John and Jessie McNamara and brother to Clayton, Lawrence, Ethel and Doris; all of whom preceded him in death. He served in the U.S. Army in World War II earning a Bronze Star. After the war, he graduated from Tri-State University in Fort Wayne with a bachelors degree in engineering.

Tom began working for Fuller Corporation (later Eaton Corporation) in Parchment as an automotive engineer in 1950 where he remained until his retirement in 1985. Tom was an assistant chief engineer where he was part of a team that designed truck transmissions and later was head of product reliability for the transmission division.

In 1952, Tom married Theodora (Dot) Meninga. The two were married for 50 years until 2002 when Dot preceded him in death. Upon his retirement, Tom enjoyed puttering in his garage, traveling with Dot to visit their grandchildren in California, and volunteering daily at the Air Zoo in the restoration department for nearly 25 years.

Tom leaves behind his three children, Lynne McNamara, Florida; Scott McNamara and wife, Diane, California; Cindy Downend and husband John, Massachusetts; 3 beautiful grandchildren, Christopher and wife Michelle, David, and Suzanne; and one great-grandson, Theodore. Tom is survived by his sister-in-law, Harriet Brown, and several nieces and nephews,. He was especially close to his niece, Marcia Cairns, who provided him with love, support, and care in his final years.

A memorial service to honor and celebrate Tom's life will be held on Tuesday, July 6, 2021 at 11:00 am at Langeland Family Funeral Homes Burial & Cremation Services Westside Chapel, 3926 S. 9th St. Kalamazoo, MI 49009. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions can be made to The Air Zoo or Alzheimer's Association in memory of Tom. Please visit his personalized webpage at https://www.langelands.com