Thomas
Thomas L. Kievit
Thomas Lynn Kievit was brought into this world on September 20
th
, 1954, and without doubt instantly made it a better place. The youngest son of Clarence and Naomi (Meeker) Kievit, Tom graduated from Parchment High School in 1972 before joining the United States Army. Always looking for adventure, Tom found his niche in the 509
th
Airborne as a Paratrooper until called home to help his family after the loss of his father.
Returning to Kalamazoo, Tom joined his family as a co-owner of the Globe Rubber Stamp, Co., and as Tom left his stamp on this life, he found his career in ink, working first for Sinclair and Valentine in Kalamazoo and acting as a plant manager when the company became Flint Ink. Upon Flint Ink’s closing, Tom took his 26 years of experience and tried his hand at logistics for Evergreen Packaging before his retirement.
On August 1, 1981 Tom married the love of his life, his soulmate, his partner in crime, Brook Channells. The two made their home in Martin, and lived every day together with love and laughter, welcoming the second love of Tom’s life, their daughter, Kiley, in 1983.
Tom was a man with an immeasurable heart and spirit. Family always came first, and to Tom family came in blood and in friendship. He was the first to offer a helping hand to loved ones and strangers alike. His sense of humor and great smile made him friends wherever he went. If the measure of a man can be found in those who love him, then Tom was larger than life.
One of Tom’s greatest pleasures was traveling with Brook every chance they got – all across the United States, and especially cruising through the Caribbean, enjoying each other, the sunshine and rum. Tom loved Corvettes, Jeeps, bad Sci-Fi movies and black coffee. He LOVED University of Michigan football, though much to his kids’ dismay, he was a known “Spartan Sympathizer.” He was an enthusiastic fan of the T.V. show Survivor, and loved putting together hilarious and inventive audition tapes.
Tom passed away at home on Saturday, June 24
th
, surrounded by his family.
He is survived by his wife, Brook Kievit; his daughter and son-in-law, Kiley and Scott Haynes; grandsons, Nicholas and Alexander; and brother, Terry Kievit.
Tom is preceded in death by his mother and father; his brother, Timothy Kievit; and his life-long friend, Dave Solleveld.
According to his wishes cremation has taken place.
A celebration of Tom’s life will be held at his home, 851 E. 112
th
Avenue, Martin, MI, on July 8
th
from 1p.m.-4p.m. As Tom wanted in life, he would want all to “come as you are.”
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to
Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan
.
Messages of condolence may be posted at
www.WinkelFuneralHome.com.
Offer Condolence for the family of Thomas L. Kievit
Condolence Messages
Jane Kling
June 26, 2017 at 8:02 pm
Brook. Kiley and family,
I am so sorry to hear of your husband and father’s passing. May his memory bring you comfort and beautiful memories in the days to come. Love to all of you.
Reply
Mike Duggan
July 3, 2017 at 10:55 pm
Brook and Kiley,
I’m so sorry to hear of Tom’s passing. Please accept my sincere condolences. I called on Tom while he was at Flint Ink and he was by far my favorite customer to spend time with. I will never forget his quick wit and laugh. He is a tremendous loss to all who know him.
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th
, 1954, and without doubt instantly made it a better place. The youngest son of Clarence and Naomi (Meeker) Kievit, Tom graduated from Parchment High School in 1972 before joining the United States Army. Always looking for adventure, Tom found his niche in the 509
th
Airborne as a Paratrooper until called home to help his family after the loss of his father.
Returning to Kalamazoo, Tom joined his family as a co-owner of the Globe Rubber Stamp, Co., and as Tom left his stamp on this life, he found his career in ink, working first for Sinclair and Valentine in Kalamazoo and acting as a plant manager when the company became Flint Ink. Upon Flint Ink’s closing, Tom took his 26 years of experience and tried his hand at logistics for Evergreen Packaging before his retirement.
On August 1, 1981 Tom married the love of his life, his soulmate, his partner in crime, Brook Channells. The two made their home in Martin, and lived every day together with love and laughter, welcoming the second love of Tom’s life, their daughter, Kiley, in 1983.
Tom was a man with an immeasurable heart and spirit. Family always came first, and to Tom family came in blood and in friendship. He was the first to offer a helping hand to loved ones and strangers alike. His sense of humor and great smile made him friends wherever he went. If the measure of a man can be found in those who love him, then Tom was larger than life.
One of Tom’s greatest pleasures was traveling with Brook every chance they got – all across the United States, and especially cruising through the Caribbean, enjoying each other, the sunshine and rum. Tom loved Corvettes, Jeeps, bad Sci-Fi movies and black coffee. He LOVED University of Michigan football, though much to his kids’ dismay, he was a known “Spartan Sympathizer.” He was an enthusiastic fan of the T.V. show Survivor, and loved putting together hilarious and inventive audition tapes.
Tom passed away at home on Saturday, June 24
th
, surrounded by his family.
He is survived by his wife, Brook Kievit; his daughter and son-in-law, Kiley and Scott Haynes; grandsons, Nicholas and Alexander; and brother, Terry Kievit.
Tom is preceded in death by his mother and father; his brother, Timothy Kievit; and his life-long friend, Dave Solleveld.
According to his wishes cremation has taken place.
A celebration of Tom’s life will be held at his home, 851 E. 112
th
Avenue, Martin, MI, on July 8
th
from 1p.m.-4p.m. As Tom wanted in life, he would want all to “come as you are.”
In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made to
Hospice Care of Southwest Michigan
.
Messages of condolence may be posted at
www.WinkelFuneralHome.com.
Offer Condolence for the family of Thomas L. Kievit
Condolence Messages
Jane Kling
June 26, 2017 at 8:02 pm
Brook. Kiley and family,
I am so sorry to hear of your husband and father’s passing. May his memory bring you comfort and beautiful memories in the days to come. Love to all of you.
Reply
Mike Duggan
July 3, 2017 at 10:55 pm
Brook and Kiley,
I’m so sorry to hear of Tom’s passing. Please accept my sincere condolences. I called on Tom while he was at Flint Ink and he was by far my favorite customer to spend time with. I will never forget his quick wit and laugh. He is a tremendous loss to all who know him.
Reply
Leave a Condolence
Cancel reply
Please share your message of condolence with the family, It will be visible to the public but your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked
*
Comment
*
Name
*
*
Δ
Obituary Notification Service
Enter your email address if you would like to be notified when a new obituary notice is posted:
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How do I send a condolence
At the bottom of this page, you will find a condolence form. You will need to fill out some basic information prior to typing your message. (We will not share your e-mail address with anyone) Once you are finished, simply click the submit condolence button. The condolence will be approved before it is published to the web site.
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