He was born on November 8, 1937, to Eleuterio Siangco and Julian Ladion in Maunaloa, Molokai, Hawaii. On December 19, 1937, he was baptized into the Catholic Church. Tom attended Lahainaluna High School in Maui. After graduating in June 1955, at the age of 18, he honorably served in active duty in the Armed Forces of the United States as part of the U.S. Army. During his service, he successfully completed training in advanced nursing techniques from Tripler Army Hospital in Honolulu, received the Good Conduct Medal, and was recognized as Soldier of the Month for his division.
After his service, he went on to earn his Bachelor of Arts in Psychology, Education, and Sociology from San Francisco State University in California. Tom continued onto a fifth year of graduate studies in Education at the College of San Mateo in California and two years of pre-med studies at the University of Washington in Seattle, Washington. He earned teaching credentials in the states of California and Alaska.
Tom established a long and extensive career in public service, first starting as an elementary school teacher, teaching second and third grade and coaching boys’ basketball in the Juneau Borough School District. He was also an instructor at the University of Alaska, teaching educational psychology to teacher candidates and graduate students. For the state of Alaska, Tom held several positions including employment security analyst for the Alaska Department of Labor, equal employment opportunity and training officer for the Alaska Departments of Administration and Fish and Game, and office manager and secretary for the General Services Administration. After retiring from the state of Alaska, he went on to serve in the federal government as part of the U.S. Postal Service. Tom retired his professional career with Catholic Community Services as an Eligibility Technician with their Child Care Assistance Program.
In 1994, he married his loving wife of 28-years, Vivien, in Manila, Philippines. Tom and Vivien moved from Juneau, Alaska to Renton, Washington where they have resided since 2003. In Renton, Tom volunteered at St. Anthony Catholic Elementary School where his son Jerome was a student and was an avid walker at Gene Coulon Memorial Beach Park. Tom is survived by his wife Vivien, brother Rick, sister Rita, daughter Alia, son Jerome, grandchildren Caitana, Dorian, and Micah, and dog Caramel. He is preceded in death by his mother and father, and many friends and relatives.
Special thanks to all his family, friends, and medical team that helped care for him. A funeral mass for Tom will be offered on Tuesday, November 22 at 11:00 am Pacific Time, at St. Anthony Catholic Parish in Renton, Washington. He will later be laid to rest at the National Memorial Cemetery of the Pacific in Honolulu, Hawaii.
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