Thomas Wang

Thomas Vincent Wang died peacefully on Sunday, July 20, 2014, at Hospice of Chattanooga in the presence of his wife and son. During the last years of life, his energy and wit were diminished by Alzheimer's disease but those who knew him will remember him at his best. He was born on June 20, 1923, in Chicago to Harry and Ella Wang. Raised in the small community of Fox River Grove, Ill., he ski-jumped at the Norge Ski Club and was an outstanding American Legion baseball player a sport he loved despite being a lifelong follower of the Chicago White Sox. He enlisted in the United States Army on Oct. 5, 1942. After briefly serving in one of the last active units of U.S. Army horse cavalry in Fort Riley, Kan., he patrolled the dunes of Bandon, Ore., before joining the Third Army in the European theater. There he travelled overland from Normandy to Linz and served in the Battle of the Bulge. He rose to the rank of First Sergeant during the war and later served as a warrant officer before accepting a civilian assignment to work as a field engineer for Redstone Arsenal. He worked on guided missile and radar systems, including Nike Ajax, Nike Hercules, and Chaparral units stationed on both coasts and throughout Europe, particularly in West Germany. In retirement he remodeled a home, read voraciously, and wrote several unpublished manuscripts and countless letters to friends and family in a unique and sometimes acerbic style. He was preceded in death by his siblings James Harrison and Edward Hickey, and by his first wife, Eileen Haslewood. He is survived by his daughters, Claudia Bakenhus of Orange, Calif., and Teresa Heller of Elma, Wash.; his son, Thomas Wang of Anchorage, Alaska; his grandson, Christopher Allen Morettini of Tustin, Calif.; and great-grandsons Ryan and London. He is also survived by his best friend and wife of 43 years, Elizabeth Floy Wang. Graveside services will be held in the Chattanooga National Cemetery at 11:30 a.m. on Friday, Aug. 1. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that friends and family consider donations to Hospice of Chattanooga. Visit www.heritagefh.com to share words of comfort to the family. The family will receive friends from 6-8 p.m. Friday, Aug. 1, at Heritage Funeral Home, 7454 East Brainerd Road.