Tom Santos was the first generation of his family born in the United States in Irvington, California in 1922.

His parents, Manuel and Amelia Bettencourt Santos, both came from the same Azores Island but didn’t meet until they arrived here.

Tom has 2 children Diane and Michael by his first wife, Ruth

(deceased), whom he married in 1943; 4 grand children; Sheri,

Joaquin, Shane and Karessa; 3 great-grandchildren, Tiffany, Clementine and Zebulon.

He married his second wife, Zita (deceased) in 1952 and they split their time between Scottsdale, Arizona and North Lake Tahoe, where he worked as a bartender at the Cal-Neva resort during the Frank Sinatra era.

In 1974 Tom and Zita moved to Sequim.

A man of many talents, Tom was an avid hunter and member of Ducks Unlimited, an accomplished gardener and an enthusiastic rock hound who taught himself gem cutting and, as a member of Northwest Federation of Mineralogical Societies, won many awards.

When Tom was growing up his father always told him to “give back”. When he and Zita moved to Sequim he started doing just that.

Being an outdoor enthusiast, he became active in the Conservation Districts’ Dungeness Bay Watershed Committee and is a charter member of 6 different related committees.

When the Dungeness River flooded in 1979, he worked with the Army Corps of Engineers to help rebuild the dikes and restore the river.

He was nominated four times for Clallam County Citizen of the Year in the early 1990s and was named Grand Marshal of the Sequim Irrigation Festival Parade in 2008.

He is a life member of the Sequim Prairie Grange, participating at both county and state levels, including Deputy for State Master in Clallam County.

He was instrumental in getting the Dryke Memorial at Carrie Blake Park, raising money for the Fairgrounds Grand stand in Port Angeles, working with Neighborhood Watch on crime prevention, planting cherry trees outside the Chamber of Commerce, formation of the North Olympic Fruit Club, campaigned for the launch ramp at John Wayne Marina, participated in Audubon bird counts, worked at the Clallam County Elections office, spent many volunteer hours for St. Luke’s Episcopal Church and much, much more.

He is pre-deceased by his older brother Anthony and sister Marie (Perry).

His sister-in-law Katy, nephew Anthony and niece Mary Louise reside in Livermore, California.

Tom said, “I no longer have time to look for problems – only solutions.” He will be truly missed by his many friends and loving family.

Services where held on Friday, December 5th, 2014 at 1:00 p.m., St. Luke’s Episcopal Church, 525 N. 5th Ave. in Sequim.

Graveside Service followed at 2:00 pm at Sequim View Cemetery, 1505 Sequim – Dungeness Way, Sequim.

Memorials can be sent to St. Luke’s Episcopal Church Building Fund, P.0.Box 896, Sequim, WA 98382.