Obituary

Thomas Edward Ingraham
December 1, 1936 – February 22, 2024

Thomas (Tom) Edward Ingraham, a longtime resident of Irvine, California, beloved by his family, neighbors and friends, died peacefully due to heart disease on February 22, 2024.

Tom is survived by his wife Sandy, his three daughters, Lynn (Stuart Hutchins) Ingraham, Holly (Christy Merrell) Ingraham, and Kelly (Brad) Rhoten; his four grandchildren Samuel Hagene, Allon (Jericho) Rhoten, Dottie (Jesse) Oleson, and Joshua Hagene; his four great grandchildren; and his sister Joan (Barry) Wegman and his brother Steve (Cathy) Ingraham, and brother-in-law George (Jean) deTarnowsky.

Tom grew up in East Stroudsburg, Pennsylvania where he developed his genuine enthusiasm for life, problem solving and people. Among many adventures during  his youth, Tom raised homing pigeons, solo’d a small plane successfully home in a snowstorm, and as a young man traveled by cargo ship across the ocean to explore Europe by motorcycle.

He met the love of his life in New York City and proposed to her on a carriage ride through Central Park. Tom and Sandy shared 60 years of marriage, raising a family and making lifelong friends in New York City, Ann Arbor, Michigan and Irvine, California. Tom loved his red Fiat Spider sports car, he was an excellent film photographer and a passionate pilot flying his Cessna 140 out of Corona airport. For the last twenty years Tom and Sandy were Sunday regulars walking Laguna Beach with their Airedale Terrier.

Tom had a successful career as a salesman. As a young man he worked for his father’s chemical company selling to photographers. He went on to work for a data systems company headquartered in Ann Arbor, Michigan, and then owned his own small business in Southern California selling the machine shop floor control system his brother developed.

His daughters remember him always offering help to those in need. He once bought ice cream for every prisoner in the Ann Arbor jail and with his daughters personally delivered it; one of countless acts of kindness throughout his lifetime. Tom was a friend of Bill W.

Tom’s family would like to thank Tom’s loved and loving caregivers and support team – Kim Bailey and Donna Valerde of Alzheimer’s of Orange County, Heather Johnson, Catherine Early and Chad.

A celebration of life service will be held April 13 at Irvine UCC. Expressions of sympathy can be made in Tom’s name to Alzheimer’s Orange County at www.alzoc.org or by giving a $20 bill to the next homeless person you pass by.

As Tom would say, “Aren’t we lucky!” Be grateful and “keep coming back!”