Fred Alvin Tohm Sr.

Fred Alvin Tohm Sr. passed away Feb. 20, 2019, shortly after his 94th birthday in Sandpoint, Idaho. Born in Canfield, Ohio to Carl and Ida Tohm, he was the eldest son of nine children.

He is survived by his wife, Norma of 6 years; four children, Susan Raby (Ron), Fred Tohm Jr. (Judy), Cynthia (Cindy) Ertel (Paul), and Chris Tohm; and by 10 grandchildren, and 15 great-grandchildren. He is preceded in death by his first wife of 53 years, Donna; and two children, Carlene Murphy, and Robert (Bob) Tohm.

He worked on his family farm in Youngstown, Ohio, into his 20s when he joined the Air Force and was stationed at Fairchild Air Force Base in Spokane, Washington. He soon met and married Donna (Darling). After leaving the Air Force, he moved his growing family to Chattaroy, Washington, where he farmed and raised livestock while working at Kaiser Aluminum in Mead, Washington, until he retired in 1992 after 36 years. Tragically, he and Norma had to leave his beloved Chattaroy home after it burned down in a fire shortly before Christmas in 2015.

He was a man of faith, a farmer, tradesman, inventor, craftsman, veteran, and family man. He taught by example, to work first and play later because having a strong work ethic mattered. He preached the golden rule, to be a good neighbor, and that family comes first. As a husband, he took great care of Donna in her frail health before she passed in 2006. He found love again with Norma through their church and their shared love of the Lord. They were married in 2012 when he was 87. As a grandparent, he held each grandbaby and sang to them. He watched them grow into fine people with families of their own. In many ways, he was a maverick. He lived life on his own terms and now he has left this place, soon to be in a better one.

Funeral services for Fred will be held at 11 a.m. on Sunday, March 3, 2019, at the Deer Park Seventh-day Adventist Church, 809 S. Colville Road, Deer Park, WA. For those who wish to attend, a private viewing will be held at Lauer Funeral Home, 204 N. Main St., Deer Park, WA from 9-10 a.m. before the funeral on Sunday, March 3. To sign Fred’s online guestbook, please visit lauerfuneral.com.