Thomas W. Fett's Obituary
On Monday, February 1, 2021, Thomas W Fett, loving husband, father, brother, and grandfather, passed away at the age of 71. Tom was born on January 18, 1950 in Grand Haven, MI to Walt and Joyce (Hoffman) Fett. He served in the Army, and worked as a Controller for J&M Machine Products in Muskegon until 2016. On February 8, 1980, he married Karen Oliver, and they raised one daughter, Natalie.
Tom was a fun-loving, compassionate, and humble man. Despite health problems which dealt him many setbacks, especially later in his life, he always found a way to put a smile on his face and to tell a joke. Throughout all he went through, Tom would often change the conversation focus with “How are YOU doing?”, with a genuine interest in others and their own lives. It was important to him to have family around at holidays, and spending time with his friends.
Tom had a passion for reading, history, sports, and loved to travel (especially by train) around the country to visit museums (especially his favorite, Gatorland!). Tom loved history and learning about the world, and a trip to the museum with him was a day-long affair. Tom was a fan of Michigan football, was a top baseball player in West Michigan, and was an avid bowler with a perfect 300 game and another 299. He loved exploring life with his wife Karen: trying new restaurants, traveling to Florida, and watching movies. Tom spent many peaceful moments walking to the lake with his dog, Teddy, who often found a warm spot on Tom’s lap.
Tom was a family man whose loss will be felt by all. He loved his grandchildren, and was so proud of his daughter Natalie. He was friendly and cordial to people, was inclusive and thought about others, and had an overall good heart that made him loved by those in and outside of his close family and friends. Tom’s strength was evident as he endured round after round of health hardships, yet fought through and eventually reached his goal of seeing his grandson Logan ride his bike.
Tom was preceded in death by his father, Walt, and his mother, Joyce. He is survived by his wife, Karen, his daughter, Natalie (Brad) Bice, two grandchildren Logan Thomas and Dylan Phillip, siblings Ginny (Dave) Schultz, Tim (Jeanne) Fett, and Doug (Cathy Law) Fett, and extended family Wendy Oliver (Bob Tinker), Sue Oliver (Phillip Manke) and Valerie and Nolan Oliver.
The family would like to thank the entire staff at Davita Muskegon, Spectrum Hospital Heart Center, and the VAD Clinic in Grand Rapids.
A Celebration of Life will occur between 4-6pm on February 13 at The Lee Chapel at 6291 Harvey St in Norton Shores, MI.
In lieu of flowers, donations are encouraged to the Meijer Heart Center at Spectrum Health [https://give.spectrumhealth.org/donations]
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