Thomas C. Oudsema

Thomas C. Oudsema, age 67, passed away on January 9, 2022, in Kalamazoo, Michigan, after experiencing respiratory failure. Tom was born on June 14, 1954, to Margaret Oudsema and Robert Oudsema in Kalamazoo.

The fifth of seven children, Tom was an inquisitive youth who learned a lot about building and fixing things working with his father. He was known by his initials, TC, and was very social, spending lots of time with his friends in the neighborhood and swimming in the backyard pool.

Tom attended Portage public schools and graduated from Portage Northern High School in 1972. He studied to be an LPN at Kalamazoo Valley Community College and went on to work in nursing and realty for several years. In 1977, he married Deena Bindemann, and they had three sons Nicholas, Benjamin and Peter.

Tom used the carpentry skills he learned from his father throughout his life. He worked on countless construction projects, and even helped to build a second-story addition to the home he and Deena bought for their family. He was a friendly man, known for his kind personality and genuine spirit. He treasured his family, saving the kindergarten progress reports, art projects and school pictures of his boys.

Though he spent much of the latter years of his life living alone, he made a point to attend every Thanksgiving and Christmas dinner, always engaging the family in stimulating conversation. Tom loved deeply and tried his best to do what he could for his family.

Tom took pride in his sons and grandsons, and he will be sorely missed. He is survived by his sons, Nicholas and his wife Pasha, Benjamin and Peter; the mother of his children, Deena Karson-Bindemann; his grandchildren, Connor, Teagan and Isaac; his six siblings, Robert jr., Mary Lynn, William, John (aka Jack), Carol and David, and many beloved nieces and nephews. He is predeceased by his parents, Robert and Margaret.