Thomas M. "Tom" Tribble
Obituaries
Daily Sentinel page 4A - September 18, 2020
Our Dad, Thomas “Tom” M.
Tribble, of Southern California
(recently residing in Grand
Junction, Colorado), passed
away peacefully on Wednesday,
September 16, 2020.
Tom was born on September
2, 1933, to Thomas D. and Irene
E. Tribble in Los Angeles, CA,
where he was raised. After graduating University High School in
1951, Tom joined the United States Coast Guard. The Korean War
had just begun and he was initially stationed in San Francisco, then
in Long Beach. During his service, he was sent to Connecticut for
‘radio school’ where he learned Morse code. He loved being in the
Coast Guard and was extremely proud of it his whole life.
After completing his military service, Tom moved back to West
L.A. and went to Santa Monica City College for a couple of years.
He got a job at Retail Credit Company in West L.A. There, he met
Joan Hale, whom he married in October of 1959. The following
year, Tom and Joan welcomed their son, Patrick. After nearly ten
years of struggling to have another child, they decided to adopt.
In June of 1970, they welcomed their daughter, Stacy Marie. After
40 years of marriage, Tom’s beloved wife “Joanie” passed away in
December.
Tom resided in the San Fernando Valley, CA (Canoga Park and
Chatsworth) from 1963 to 2015. For 20 of those years, he worked at
the Los Angeles County Sheriff’s Department as a police officer - a
job he loved. After retirement, he bought a second home in Grand
Junction, Colorado and he divided his time for many years between
there and California. In 2015, Tom sold his house in Chatsworth and
he and his then-partner, Connie, continued to split time between
California and Colorado until January, 2020.
Tom’s hobbies included fishing, traveling, and collecting artifacts
from the Hopi Indian tribe. He was especially fond of Kachina
Dolls. Tom was also a lifelong fan of the USC Trojan football team
(even though he grew up in cross-town rivals UCLA territory!).
Later in life, he enjoyed watching NASCAR.
Tom is survived by his children, Patrick (Michelle) Tribble, and
Stacy Marie (Donnie) Flaig, and grandchildren, Thomas “Brady”
(Danielle) Tribble (29), Daniel “Danny” Patrick Tribble (27),
Katherine “Kady” Elizabeth Tribble (25), Logan Jensen (23), and
Raven Joan Flaig (16).
“We will all forever cherish the memories we have of you Pop
Pop!”
A celebration of life will be held Saturday, September 19, 2020,
1 - 3:00 p.m., at Callahan-Edfast Mortuary.
