1925 – 2018
Now flying forever on the wings of an eagle, Thomas “Tom” Seversen, age 93, died on June 6, 2018 following a brief illness.
Tom was born in Chicago, Illinois to Edward and Clara (Heintze) Seversen and had a wonderful childhood following his older brother Eddie on adventures in the Oak Park neighborhood. Their love of aviation began early: The two took their first flight, together, in a Swallow biplane when they were 6 and 11 years old, and that love of planes continued throughout their lives. Tom graduated from Austin High School in Chicago and enlisted in the Aviation Cadet Program in 1943, proudly serving in WWII as a B-24 and B-29 pilot in the Pacific Theater. His squadron was the first to fly over Nagasaki after the atom bomb was dropped. After the war, Tom joined Eddie in Chicago and became a photo engraver/lithographer by trade. In 1951 he married his love, a tall blond named Helga Foken, and together they raised three daughters: Nancy, Ellen and Ingrid. An avid skier throughout his life, he and Helga skied out West on their honeymoon, and he continued enjoying the slopes for five decades, as the whole family embraced the joy of the winter sport. In 1972 Tom followed his brother again, this time to a more rural locale in central Wisconsin where the family moved to a small farm outside of New London. Tom loved a good meal, a good nap and especially good friends, but retirement in 1987 didn’t slow him down. For many years he volunteered weekly in the Restoration Department at the EAA Air Museum, was a yearly instructor for their teen Air Academy and regularly contributed to his local chapter. He volunteered for the county recycling program for 10 years. Work and upkeep on the farm never ended, but the homestead was a source of pride and joy. In 1995 Tom and Helga had a new home built in New London, selecting the land for the large workshop already on the lot. It was there he realized his dream of building and finishing his own “home-built” plane, later flying it out of Poppy’s Air Field. Tom is one of those amazing men, simple in their style and life, but extraordinary in what they did. It’s as if he was born with tools in his hands—he was curious about how everything worked and learned to build, rebuild and fix almost anything. His trade was all about hand engraving the metal plates used for printing. And besides building model planes in his youth, as an adult he was a master (scratch) model railroader for decades. On the farm he took a VW chassis and turned it into his roadster version of a Model T, and then he finally built his own plane. Over the decades he acquired a wealth of knowledge and freely passed it on to anyone curious enough to ask for guidance.
Tom was a devoted family man, steadfast to his bride of 63 years and supportive of his children, extended family and many dear friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, brother, wife Helga, daughter Ellen Handschke, son-in-law Larry Woeshnick and sister-in-law Ellen Barwick. He is mourned by daughters, Nancy Woeshnick of New London, WI; Ingrid (Tom) Hemesath of Ashburn, VA; son-in-law Bryen Handschke of Redgranite, WI; grandchildren: Charlotte (Ben Guilette), Wesley (Jodi) and Bradley (Samantha Gooding) Handschke of New London and Anja Hemesath (VA) and four great-grandchildren: Mason, Jenna, Carson and Whitney Handschke. Also surviving him are sister-in-law Beverly Seversen; niece Joann (John) Henderson of Pueblo, CO, her son Chris (Fern) Leischow (Aleric and Hannibal); nephew John Seversen (Mary Trese) of Mahomet, IL, his daughter Laura (Ben) Herriott (Evan and Ella) of Champaign, IL, his son Kevin (Katie) Seversen (Carter and Grant) of St. Louis, MO; niece Sue (Wayne) Stokes (Corey and Ben) of Sandyhook, CT; nephews, Robert (son Christopher) and Michael Barwick of NY.
The funeral service for Tom will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, August 3, 2018 at St. Joseph’s Chapel in New London. A visitation will take place from 10:00 a.m. until the time of the service. Burial will be in Central Wisconsin Veteran’s Memorial Cemetery in King, WI. The Cline & Hanson Funeral Home in New London is serving the family. www.clinehansonfuneralhome.com
Special thanks to Trinity Terrace in New London where he was a resident for over four years. In lieu of flowers, donations in Tom’s honor may be made to the EAA Foundation’s Annual Fund for Excellence or Historical Preservation (EAA Donations, 3000 Poberezny Road, Oshkosh WI 54902).