Thomas M. Peck of Pierson, Mich., flew to be with his Lord and Savior on Thursday, Aug. 19, 2021. He is survived by loving wife, Patti Jo; daughter, Jennifer (TD) Gonzales; soon-to-be born granddaughter; son, Andrew (Alyssa Wealty) Peck; grandson, Everett Gabriel; sister, Kimberley (Bruce Eisenmenger) Peck; sister-in-law, Brenda (Brad) Poggi; several nieces and nephews.
Born 1949 to Marjorie and Darrell Peck, he grew up in southwestern Minnesota. Early in life, his family lived on a farm where Tom learned about hard work. During this time, many chickens were hypnotized and general discord ensued. After moving to Worthington, he attended Worthington High School and served as the Trojan mascot. Notably, his family hosted Robert F. Kennedy for dinner after an impromptu invitation extended by Tom.
As a youth, he enjoyed canoeing and diving. He once used his diving skills to save one of his three sisters from drowning in a pool, but as Tom liked to recall with good humor, rather than receiving accolades for his heroism, he took a scolding for ruining his water-soaked belt. While attending Luther College in Decorah, Iowa, Tom worked closely with one of his most influential teachers, Dr. Weston Noble ‘43, who he would credit throughout his life as a main inspiration for the far-reaching teaching career upon which he would embark within the next few years.
Though unrelated to his studies there, one of his favorite stories from his Luther years goes something like this: At some point at the men’s dormitory, all showers became inundated with frogs, toads and other amphibians collected (supposedly) from a nearby pond. Again, general discord ensued. No one knows who is responsible for this...
Some highlights from his early professional career include playing as a substitute trombonist for the Minneapolis Symphony (now Minnesota Orchestra) under Stanisław Skrowaczewski. Legend has it, Tom toured briefly as a trombonist with the “ghost band” of Whoopee John Wilfarht as well as Lawrence Welk.
But if asked, he might mention that his greatest early achievement was the invention of the Blizzard ice cream dessert at Dairy Queen. Yes folks, it’s true. According to the man himself, the idea of a mixed candy/topping/ice cream treat originated nowhere else than in the mind of Tom Peck while he was working for a short time at a Worthington-area DQ store. As much as he loved cookies and ice cream, plus the fact that it took the force of at least two other people to restrain him from stopping at EVERY Dairy Queen he EVER drove past, it’s not that unlikely that this claim of his was actually true.
Besides performing, Tom also worked in the music publishing industry composing and arranging music -- especially brass music -- for varying ensembles sometimes under the pseudonym Jennifer Faith (his daughter’s name). His longest stints were for Kjos in San Diego where he created and developed material that would be used in band and instrumental methods to the present day.
Giving a brief history of his career as an educator is difficult to do. He began in the Twin Cities area at Bloomington and Eden Prairie school districts. Upon relocating to Michigan, Tom worked for a time at Malecki Music before joining Caledonia Community Schools where he grew the program (a program that included 5-12th grade band, marching and concert/symphonic ensembles, jazz ensembles and music appreciation classes) from a handful of students to hundreds over 10 years. From 2002 to 2012, Tom accomplished something similar at Byron Center Public Schools, growing a small program into a state-wide contender.
His energy directing an ensemble could be matched by very few and his style in the class and rehearsal rooms combined high standards, fun and a mix of old-school discipline (e.g sending students to scrub/wash a whole school bus with toothbrushes) and unorthodox methods (his “hall pass” was a 4 ft. tall zebra stripe stuffed bear). He considered himself something of a “renegade” and was never afraid to swim upstream. He valued teamwork, esprit de corps, comradery, integrity and commitment over high contest ratings. Some students continued to play professionally in regional orchestras and military bands. Others were inspired enough to become educators themselves. His love for music lives on in the many hundreds of students he taught and mentored.
As committed to education as he was, his dedication to teaching was matched or maybe exceeded by that of another subject: Aviation. As a licensed private pilot, he spent many hours in single- and twin-engine aircraft. When it became impractical to fly full-scale planes, he became a member of Kent Radio Aeromodelers where he flew (and crashed) models he built himself plus some built by his father. Tom was a member of the 93rd Bomb Group Association to commemorate the 8th Air Force Unit for which his dad flew in 1944. Tom spent a great deal of time studying the histories of USAAF B-24 Liberator units and the men who flew them in the European theatre of WWII.
All this time, Tom still found time to perform music as a member of Calvary Church’s orchestra. He was regularly asked to play trombone, tuba, bass or just about anything else, which he did “to varying degrees of inability.” (His words). Psalm 100 says, “Make a joyful noise unto the Lord, all ye lands.” Tom wanted all he did to glorify and honor God. Always an avid reader, his Bible brought him the most comfort as his health began to fade. Late in his career, he finished a Master in Arts Administration at Grand Valley State University but soon the onset of Parkinson’s Disease forced his early retirement after only a few years of service in this field at Byron Center Public Schools and as a music teacher at Cornerstone University.
In the words of a close friend, Tom Peck was a, “multitalented and accomplished musician, a dedicated teacher, a devoted husband and father, an intelligent and graceful thinker, a lover of the ironies of life.” He will be sorely, sorely missed but is now free of his worldly suffering and no longer must battle the disease that robbed so much of him.
A celebration of Tom’s life was held Sept. 17 at LaGrave Avenue Christian Reformed Church, 107 LaGrave Ave. SE, Grand Rapids. Arrangements by Bliss-Witters & Pike Funeral Home, Cedar Springs.