Thomas Thies

Thomas U. Thies, 87 of Port Orchard, died in Bremerton on January 25, 2010.  He was born October 8, 1922 in Dayton, OH to Charles & Jane (Ferneding) Thies.  He married Estelle Yankowski in New London, CT on February 12, 1945.  She preceded him in death in 2008. Thomas worked as an Electrician at Puget Sound Naval Shipyard for 13 years, retiring as Supervisor, Shop 51 in 1977.  He also worked as an Electrician for Johnson Controls.  He served in the U.S. Navy as an Electrician, Hard Hat Diver & UDT "Frogman" from 1940 to 1960, retiring as a Chief EMC.  He earned the Purple Heart and many other awards for service in WWII and Korea. Thomas enjoyed scuba diving, woodworking, motorcycles & "Trials" riding.  He also enjoyed feeding birds & squirrels in his backyard.  He was a member of the "Kelp Kings" Diving Club. Surviving are daughters Toma Jo (Leonard) McCready of Port Orchard and Susan (Gary) Evans of Chula Vista, CA, grandchildren Jennifer Brinkman, Brian Evans, Heather Spain, Kellie, Amanda & Erin McCready; great-grandchildren Skylynn & Kylar Gregory, Haley, Minnie & Michael Brinkman, Luke & Caleb Spain.  He was preceded in death by brother David & sisters Betty, Mary, Peggy & Suzanne. Graveside Service 10:30am on Friday, January 29th at Tahoma National Cemetery in Kent.  Online memorial at www.rill.com