Tom was born to Irene and Carl Nietz on July 17,1941 in Owatonna, Minnesota. He grew up enjoying Boy Scout activities and model airplanes and rockets. After graduating from Owatonna High School, he went on to the University of Minnesota and earned a Bachelor of Science and a Master's Degree in Aeronautical Engineering. Tom married Karen Fossum on June 25, 1966, shortly after graduation. They were blessed with three wonderful children and five beautiful grandchildren.

His quest for employment ended abruptly after interviewing at Ryan Aeronautical in beautiful, warm, San Diego, CA. Through company mergers etc., Tom worked for Teledyne Aeronautical, Allegheny Technologies, and eventually retired from Northrop Grumman. He also worked briefly for McDonald Douglas. His career was spent in Advanced Engineering working on designing and developing unmanned drones, working on studies for DARPA, being involved in the design, wind tunnel testing, and flight testing to validate the drone design performance.

When first moving to Poway, he became an active member of the Jaycees. Community involvement led him to get his real estate license and work with Four Flags real estate in Poway. He was also a member of the Silver Saddle Homeowners Association. He designed and contracted the building of his home in 1974-75 and went on to remodel that home three times. It was his favorite pastime... He was constantly involved with creating woodworking projects, building tv and computers from kits, redesigning the house and improving all parts therein. However, building the great wall of Tom was a backbreaking 2+ year project.

As his children grew, Tom became a Boy Scout leader and enjoyed many of the outdoor activities with his son, Brian. He loved music, from classic to country, but never played an instrument or sang in the choir. He and Karen were long time members of the Lutheran Church in Poway.

Tom took up cooking after retiring, much to Karen's enjoyment. He found that volunteering at the church office and driving for Meals on Wheels filled in the time between gardening and many travel adventures with friends.

Tom spent the last 6 months battling his illnesses. He passed away peacefully early on March 2, 2024, with family by his side. Tom was dearly loved by his family and friends who miss his humor, numerous stories and many engineering endeavors.

Many thanks to the 6th floor nurses at Palomar Hospital and the Elizabeth Hospice for their compassionate care. Enormous thanks, also, to the many friends and family who supported Karen and Tom through this difficult time. And a most special thank you to Pastor Sandy Bentz for her continued prayers and caring visits.

Tom is survived by his wife Karen, their two children Kari (Leif Gigstad), Brian (Shea), five grandchildren, Karli and Teddy Gigstad and Karis, Ella and Trenton Nietz and his sister, Nancy Goodman. He was preceded in death by his parents and an infant son, Steven and 4 brothers-in-law.

A Celebration of Life will be on Saturday, April 6th at 1pm at Incarnation Lutheran Church on Espola Road in Poway.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Incarnation Lutheran Church or any charity of your
choice.