Thomas Evans Holsather

Thomas (Tom) Evans Holsather, age 79 of Ferndale, WA passed away, surrounded by family, on July 28, 2023, after a prolonged battle with cancer.  Tom was born on October 12, 1943, to Kaare and Betty Holsather in Bellingham, WA.  After graduating from Bellingham High School in 1961, he enlisted in the Navy serving for 30 years, including combat tours in Vietnam and service during the Cold War, retiring as a CWO4 in 1991.  He married Margery (Honcoop) in 1980.  

For more than 15 years, Tom and Margery were snowbirds, traveling between Ferndale, WA and Desert Hot Springs, CA with a group of close friends.  He loved golfing, fishing, and reading a good Clive Cussler novel.  For more than a dozen years he led fishing trips for family and friends to a floating fish camp at Rivers Inlet, British Columbia, accessible only by float plane.  His love for history led him to genealogy and a passion for tracing, cataloging and often sharing interesting facts about his family history.  While his father was still alive, he and his brother traveled with Kaare to Norway to meet family members and expand research into their history; it was the trip of a lifetime.

He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Margery, and his brother Kent.  Tom and Margery share four children, including Bill (wife Denise), Dan (wife Wendy) and daughter Mary (husband Jimmy).  They have seven grandchildren Kaarin, Analisa, Tess, Melia, Keeley, Kai and Ava and two greatgrandchildren Arianna and Kenny.  Their oldest granddaughter Kaarin lived with Tom and Marge a few years while growing up, with Tom regularly volunteering in her classroom.  He is predeceased by his parents Kaare and Betty. 

The family requests no flowers.  Donations can be made, in his name, to the Fred Hutchinson Cancer Center, Philanthropy, Mail Stop J5-200, Seattle, WA 98109 or Peace Health Bellingham Cancer Center at  https://www.peacehealth.org/foundation/st-joseph/donate-now  and select Cancer Center Patient Experience Fund. A celebration of life will be announced at a future date.