Obituary of Thomas Hendrick LaVelle

Thomas LaVelle passed away peacefully at home on January 10, 2021. He was 87 years young and is survived by his three daughters Lori Crandall of Fallbrook, California, Tami LaVelle of Lake Havasu City, and Jodi Costello of Discovery Bay, California, as well as his six grandchildren and two great-grandchildren. He was born and raised in North Hollywood, California and after high school enlisted into the United States Marines where he would be shipped overseas to Korea during war time and would serve as an air traffic controller. When Tom came home from Korea, he attended California Polytechnic State University in San Luis Obispo where he received his degree in Aeronautical Engineering. While attending college, in 1955, he married Barbara LaVelle (his wife of 65 years before her passing in March of 2020) and they began their life together. They raised their family in Costa Mesa, California and in 2000 after retiring from NASA, they moved to Lake Havasu City, AZ where they built their home in 2003. They enjoyed traveling in their motorhome and made many trips in it, including their last two memorable trips to Alaska in 2018 and North Carolina in 2019. They loved to travel to the wine areas of California, Oregon and Washington. Throughout his career with NASA he was able to bring along his wife on many of his business trips that took them around the world to places such as India, Australia, Japan, Switzerland (the list goes on). They both loved to take cruises. They spent what would be their last New Years together on a cruise to the Mexican Riviera in 2020. Tom was very active in the Lake Havasu community and belonged to many clubs in the area including The Shriners, the Elks Club, Marine Corps League, and enjoyed being a member of the Lake Havasu Yacht Club. He also was an active member in the London Bridgers RV Club. An inspiration to many, an amazing father to three daughters, Tom very much enjoyed his life and will be missed by the many lasting friendships he made. There will be a celebration of life for Tom at a later date. Services were entrusted to the care of Lietz-Fraze Funeral Home. Thoughts and condolences can be sent to the family at www.lietz-frazefuneralhome.com.