Tom Massengale

Tom Massengale passed away on April 7, 2023, at age 88. He was a resident of Las Cruces for over 50 years, having been born in Wisconsin and spending his first 20 years in that state. He also served in the US Army at several locations with the last posting at White Sands Missile Range as a Hawk Battery Commander. His undergraduate degree was in mathematics with a drama minor and he enjoyed acting in a number of college productions, frequently cast as a member of the clergy. He was also a mathematics graduate student at NMSU and was a computer programmer, both applications programming and scientific. He had a dance band in high school where he played the trumpet and was the vocalist. Tom had fine voice and a huge and varied repertoire of songs at his disposal and entertained his wife with these songs, most of which were from the 40's and 50's. Tom enjoyed playing chess and the horses. He had a short stint as a golf club pro in his youth and spent almost a year playing professionally in tournaments in the Wisconsin area, competing not very successfully against the likes of Sam Snead and George Bayer. That convinced Tom to find another occupation. From 1984 to his passing, he and his wife shared their lives with of a total of 12 dogs over the years, all of them rescues or pound puppies. Tom was plagued with poor health for the last years of his life and succumbed to these illnesses. Tom is survived by Diana, his wife of almost 48 years. She thanks the doctors and facilities who have cared for him in recent years and particularly at his last residence at Good Samaritan Health Care Center in Las Cruces where he received excellent care from the staff, from Juan Gutierrez with Elite Primary Care, and from Mesilla Valley Hospice. She also thanks Getz Funeral Home for their kindness and professionalism and, of course, many friends and family for their love and support. Special thanks to Deborah Pacheco, CNP, family physician and friend for several years. No services are planned due to Tom's confinement in recent years. He will be buried at Ft. Bliss cemetery. Thanks to Carol Gaines and the military services for this privilege. If anyone wishes to send a remembrance, please donate to the animal rescue group of your choice or to DELTA Rescue, P.O. Box 9, Glendale, CA 91209, www.deltarescue.org.