Obituary of Thomas Henry Gloe

Thomas Henry Gloe went to heaven to join his beloved wife, Barbara on December 16, 2023 at the age of 85, in his home, surrounded by his loving children. Thomas was born on March 1, 1938 in Sioux Falls, SD to Ernst and Anna (Westensee) Gloe, who had immigrated from the island of Fehmarn, Germany. He grew up in Rowena, SD, Larchwood, IA, and Sioux Falls, SD with 10 brothers and sisters.

When Thomas was 16, he joined the Air Guard and then joined the United States Marine Corp (USMC) when he was 17 years old. During his time in the Marines, he went to Okinawa, Japan, just after the conflict in Korea had ended. He was able to complete his GED while serving and was honorably discharged in 1958.

Upon his return, he was introduced to Barbara Krier, coincidentally, by someone he was dating, thinking they would make a perfect match. They were married in 1960 and made their home in Sioux Falls, SD where Thomas worked as an electrician. After their third child was born, Thomas was offered a job with Northern States Power (NSP) in the Minneapolis area, so they found a home in Brooklyn Park, MN where two more children were born. Thomas worked at many different power plants with NSP (now Xcel Energy). He ultimately retired from NSP. After Barbara's untimely death in 2015, he moved to Minnetonka, MN.

Thomas loved to fish and hunt, play cards, especially Pinochle, Cribbage, and Dummy Rummy. He also loved camping both with the family in the pop up trailer around the country and also at their site at Cokato Campground. Many memories were made fishing and camping at Cokato with Barb, their children, and grandchildren. One of his favorite memories was catching a 34 pound salmon in Alaska. His brothers and sisters remained close, by having reunions every other year in many different locations out west. When the kids moved out, Tom and Barb enjoyed taking many trips together. Thomas loved music and learned to play the banjo. His family would gather and play various instruments together. Included in that love of music was his love of old time dancing, of Polkas and Waltzes. Tom was an amazing and prolific dancer. After retirement, Thomas volunteered for many years for Meals on Wheels. It was when he was dancing several years after Barb had passed that he met his special friend, Karen. They enjoyed many hours of dancing, playing cards, and even a trip to Hawaii.

Tom was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Barbara; his brothers, Robert, Karl, and Larry; his sisters, an infant sister, Sylvia, and Katherine.

He is survived by his children; Christopher (Karna) Gloe, Rochester, MN; LeAnn (Richard) Fradella, Wichita, KS; Craig (Theresa) Gloe, Oak Grove, MN; Sally (Lee) Pawlik, Crystal, MN; Corinne (Roy) Whaley, Forest Lake, MN; and many grandchildren and great grandchildren.

The Mass of Christian Burial for Thomas will be held on Friday, January 5, 2024 at 10:00 am at St. Therese of Deephaven in Deephaven, MN. The Visitation will be at 9:00 am . A luncheon will follow the service. The Rite of Committal will be at Ft. Snelling National Cemetery at 1:30 pm on the same day.

Livestream of the service and subsequent recording can be seen at https://www.st-therese.org/live