Thomas A. Grubbe

Thomas A. “Tom” Grubbe, age 85, of Wheaton, passed away surrounded by his family on Tuesday, October 1, 2024, at Maple Glen Memory Care Community in Glen Ellyn.  

He was born on October 11, 1938, in Chicago, the son of Arnold and Elsie (Schultz) Grubbe.

Tom grew up in Lombard. A proud Boy Scout, he played football for the Glenbard West Hilltoppers. After graduating high school, he was drafted into the U.S. Army and was eventually stationed in Okinawa, Japan. After being discharged, he attended the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign.

Following college, he met the love of his life, Bonnie Bright, in Chicago. He was charmed by her Southern drawl. Together, they raised their family in Wheaton before moving to Elburn, where they stayed until their daughters were grown. Tom loved Elburn. An avid neighborhood snow-plower, he was president of the Oak Openings Homeowners Association.

Tom enjoyed a long career working for AT&T and particularly loved teaching the Unix operating system to engineers. He even spent time instructing in Taipei, Taiwan.

Upon his early retirement, Tom and Bonnie moved to Mountain Home, Arkansas, where he enjoyed boating and volunteering at Baxter Regional Medical Center and Talking Books for the Blind. He loved living in Mountain Home and delighted in mowing the vast acreage of his property, feeding deer and birds, and singing in the Methodist church choir. Tom and Bonnie also spent many winters in South Padre Island, Texas, where he would stroll on the beach, eat at Dirty Al’s, and visit Progresso, Mexico.

Tom will be truly missed. He was an avid Bears and Cubs fan, and he could always be found in his garage listening to a game on his transistor radio. All in all, he had a great sense of humor and enjoyed life to the fullest. Cheers to you, dad!

He is survived by his wife of 62 years, Bonnie (Bright), daughters Gayle (Ali) Kazemi of Chicago and Sandy (Tony) Streit of Naperville; grandchildren Ryan (Frances) Kazemi, Kameron Kazemi, Kyle (Franchesca) Streit, Jack Streit, and Sara Streit; great-grandchild Kara Streit; sisters Gladys Laube, Gloria Knutson, Bonnie (Don) Swiatek, and Janice Predmore; and many other dear relatives and friends.

He was preceded in death by his parents and sister Elaine Roberts.

Tom will be buried at the Abraham Lincoln National Cemetery in Elwood. Private services will be held for him by the family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials to the Alzheimer’s Association would be appreciated.

Arrangements will be handled by Malone Funeral Home in Geneva. For information, call 630-232-8233 or visit www.malonefh.com.

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