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BORN
1935
DIED
2025
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Thomas Vandezande Obituary
Thomas Jules
Vandezande
June 27, 1935
September 4, 2025
Thomas Jules Vandezande passed away in his sleep on September 4, 2025 after prolonged illness.
Tom was born to Joseph and Nadine Vandezande on June 27, 1935, in Chicago. Tom ran for his high school track team, graduating in 1951, and worked as a golf caddy. After two years working alongside his bricklayer father, Tom enrolled in the Bachelor of Arts program at Blackburn College in Carlinville IL, where he also competed in a collegiate golf league. When he graduated from Blackburn in 1957, Tom was the first in his family to complete a post-secondary degree. He also earned a Master's of Science degree in engineering in 1964 from the University of California, Los Angeles, with an emphasis on computer systems.
Tom's professional career always involved computer applications, from tracking incoming ballistic missiles until 1974, then designing custom information systems, and finally, to managing networked computers for the City of Colorado Springs until his retirement in 2000.
In 1956, while attending Blackburn College, Tom married Lois Bouvier, with whom he had three children and from whom he was divorced in 1974. Tom married Linda McCullough of Colorado Springs in July 1975. Tom and Linda enjoyed a deeply loving relationship for 49 years. They also enjoyed playing bridge together. Tom was an avid reader of novels, a loyal Republican, and a fan of road trips with Linda.
Tom was preceded in death by his wife Linda in January 2024, his son Joseph, and two of three brothers, James and Joel. Tom is survived by his brother Robert (Nancy), his son Kirk, his daughter Lisa Peterson (Bob), grandchildren Luke, Rachel, Thomas, and Melanie, and great-grandson Conrad.
A memorial service for Tom will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 1:00 pm, with interment of ashes in the church columbarium, followed by a reception to greet attendees. The event will be at St. George's Anglican Church, 217 East Pikes Peak Ave, Colorado Springs, CO 80903.
To plant trees in memory, please visit the Sympathy Store.
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Swan-Law Funeral Directors501 North Cascade Avenue, Colorado Springs, CO 80903
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