Thomas Mosac

Thomas Milford Mosac was born in Brownsville, Fayette County, Pennsylvania on October 29, 1925 to Elson B. Hommell and Genevieve Gasior.  At the age of five, he and his sister, Helen, were sent to the Holy Family Institute, where he served as an altar boy reciting prayers in Latin and lived until returning to his mother’s home in Fairbank at the age of 12.  In 1942, Tom signed up to serve with the US Navy during World War II.  He altered his birth certificate with his mother’s knowledge to reflect his birthdate as June 29, 1925, as he was still too young to enlist.  At this time, his mother revealed the name on his birth certificate was not “Thomas Gasior”, as he grew up believing, but “Thomas Mosac” which he identified himself as for the remainder of his life.  Tom served as a Signalman in the US Navy on the USS Howard (DMS-7) and discharged honorably at the rank of Petty Officer First Class (E-6), which is a great accomplishment for just over two years of service.  During Tom’s service on the USS Howard, he saw action in the Admiralty Islands, and the invasion of Luzon, Leyte Gulf, Lingayen Gulf (were the ship came under kamikaze attack on this voyage, claiming one shot down), Iwo Jima in Tinian, were Tom reported on his watch the raising of the American Flag by the US Marines and Saipan.  After discharging from the US Navy, he came to California with a shipmate, Roger Wixson.  He met Martha Mae Wythe, a registered nurse at St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco and the two were married on March 25, 1951.  They had three children, Steve Thomas (1951-2005), Joseph Roger (1954-1974) and Ruth Ellen (1957- ).  His brother, Raymond Cafini, came out to California to be near Tom and his family and remains to this day with his wife Vart.  Tom and his family moved to Nevada City in 1967, after purchasing SaveMore Variety.  Tom ran the store while Martha worked as a Registered nurse.  In 1981, Tom and Martha moved to Sand Point, Idaho after purchasing a Kentucky Fried Chicken store.

In 1993, Tom and Marty retired and moved to Mesa Arizona.  Tom and Marty enjoyed round dancing and the social community in Mesa, Arizona until a knee replacement hampered Toms’ ability to dance.  In 2012, they moved to Keizer, Oregon to be near their daughter and her family due to their failing health.  On March 9, 2013, Marty passed away.

Tom made many dear friends in his life’s journey to include Ed Therrien (a shipmate), Harvey Bell, Ed Connell, and Joe Anguiano.

Though Tom doubted his faith, his final words were those of confirmation to his daughter that he “absolutely” had accepted Christ as his Lord and Savior.  These were the last words Tom could speak and it is with this reassurance to his family that he passed several days later March 28, 2020.

Tom is survived by his daughter, her family, his brother, Raymond Cafini and his family, six grandchildren (Tommy and Troy Mosac; Kelly, Nicole, Mary and Axel Bornstedt); three great-grandchildren, and one great-great grandchild (Kace Thomas Mosac)).