Thomas Wenta

WENTA, Thomas Anthony - age 67, of Fenton passed away April 30, 2022. Inurnment will be 1:00 PM Monday, August 1, 2022 at Great Lakes National Cemetery, 4200 Belford Road, Holly. Arrangements provided by Sharp Funeral Homes, Miller Road Chapel, 8138 Miller Road, Swartz Creek. Donations in Tom’s memory can be made to Wounded Warrior Project https://www.woundedwarriorproject.org

Tom had a great love of his children, Maryn, Logan, and Torin. With them, he shared his love of music, sports, world cultures, and travel.

Having played varsity baseball and football at Fenton High School, Tom fostered athletic abilities in his children, whether it was in organized sports or dance. He also instilled in them an expansive humanitarian view of the world.

Music was a daily part of Tom’s life. He was never far from his guitar. Even on camping trips, Tom would start the mornings early with what came to be known as “Tom’s Potatoes” and wake everyone up playing “Here Comes the Sun” by the Beatles. Another Beatles favorite was “Blackbird”. Tom could play anything, from the Beatles to Eric Clapton to Leo Kottke and more. In Michigan, he played with the rock-and-roll band Symmetry. In Maryland, he played with Big Cam and the Lifters, a good-time rock-and-roll band, and also with Brookwood with their rhythm and blues.

Tom’s interest in world cultures and humanitarian service to others influenced his career choices for his entire life. After graduating from Fenton High School in 1972, he enlisted in the U.S. Air Force. During his service (1972-1976), he was trained as a Voice Processing Specialist in Vietnamese. From 1979-1993, he served in the U.S. Navy expanding his skills in linguistics at the Defense Language Institute becoming a Cryptologic Technician Interpretive (CTI) specializing in Chinese and later in Hebrew. His military service took him to Thailand, Hawaii, and Greece.

After his military service, Tom branched out into international development work. He became involved with WorldCare, Inc., traveling to Romania to bring a community development program to communities to aid in agriculture as well as community operations. Tom traveled to Kenya when working with InterAid International, helping at the Somalian refugee camp,
also helping with the Sudanese and Ethiopians. With UNICEF, Tom was involved with concerns for the children in Kenya. After this, he found himself back in Thailand helping Cambodian and Burmese refugees. Tom was an incredible person. His lifelong interests and driving forces were peace-keeping and humanitarian service throughout the world.

Tom is survived by his former spouse and the mother of his children, Gayle Rose Wenta of Woodbine, MD; three children, Maryn Papineau of Woodbine, MD, Logan (Daniel) Garland of Marriotsville, MD, and Torin Wenta of Sandy, OR; grandchildren, Magdalene Papineau, Lilah, Vivienne, and Penelope Garland; siblings, Stanley W. (Kay) Wenta, Jr. of Columbia City, IN, Gerald M. (Linda) Wenta of Swartz Creek, MI, Dr. Robert G. (Tena) Wenta of Boone, NC, Marian L. Furey of Simi Valley, CA, and Carol A. (Steven) Rhoades of North Manchester, IN; many nieces, nephews, great-nieces, and great-nephews.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Stanley W. Wenta, Sr. and Clara S. (Rusk) Wenta; nephews, Stanley W. "Bill" Wenta III and Robert Stanley Furey.

Tributes may be shared at www.sharpfuneralhomes.com