Tom was the pilot of a single-engine plane en route to Beaver Island (In Lake Michigan) from Battle Creek, MI. The plane disappeared from radar around noon when it was preparing to land on a landing strip on Beaver Island and were about 35 miles out, near the Leelenau peninsula when they went missing. No debris field was ever recovered. The plane held two couples-Tom, the pilot, his wife, Peggy (MP 22238), Cathy Sears (MP 22205), and her husband, Ray Sears (MP 22204). Tom was a mechanic at Steel Con and resided in the Kalamazoo area.