Thomas "Tom"
Volgmann
7/30/1984 – 5/24/2021
Tom is survived by the brightest lights of his life, his 2 daughters; Cecelia Grace & Paisley Anne, his parents Richard (Judy) & Kristin (Mike), his sister Michelle (Jeremy), his many Aunts, Uncles, Cousins, Nieces & Nephews and of course, his big Army Family, his many friends & coworkers.
Tom was born a happy warrior for life who wasn’t afraid of anything from his very 1st day. Incredibly smart, funny, fiercely competitive and with more than a dash of sass, he pursued every day with fearless & very often reckless abandon.
As a 6-year-old Cub Scout Bobcat, he took his 1st oath to God & Country; to help other people & to take care of himself. He wasn’t nearly as good at the latter but he excelled at the others. That was the beginning of his life long connection to the uniform and his path to continued pursuit of the wonders of nature & nature’s bounty as a hunter, a fisherman & a sports enthusiast. Those were the things that he learned from his dad, shared with his mom & sister & his extended family. He treasured passing them on to the 2 most important people in his own life, his little girls. Nothing else that Tom had ever done or would ever do was more important to him than being a daddy. Sharing his passions with his daughters was his greatest joy.
As a fresh-faced young man of 18 he decided to enlist in the US Army following his cousin, uncle, aunt & grandpa into the US military. He celebrated his 19th birthday in the blistering heat at Fort Sill, OK in Basic Training. The US Army is where Tom both lost himself & then found himself again when he discovered that he had another passion that fit perfectly with that oath that he had first taken as a 6-year-old. He discovered the challenges & the rewards of teaching & like everything else he did, he pursued it with everything he had. Teaching “his” soldiers to not only be proficient but to excel with small arms and to become the best soldiers & leaders that they could be was the most rewarding thing that he’d done in his Army career. Tom returned to full time civilian life in 2019 & was learning that he could enjoy a 9-5 career that offered him a challenge but more time to spend with his girls.
Join the family in celebrating Tom’s life & to say “farewell until we meet again”
-Memorial Service, Friday June 04; 5-8 pm at Heritage Funeral Home in New Berlin (16880 W. National Ave.), WI
-Internment, Saturday June 05; 1:30 pm at Prairie Home Cemetery in Waukesha, WI
Light Refreshments after the service: Hoeppner-Horn Bros VFW Post #5716 in New Berlin, WI
In lieu of flowers, donations in honor can be made to Wounded Warrior Foundation, Dry Hooch, Operation Finally Home, Soldier’s Angels or the Veterans Charity of your choice.
There are not enough words in the dictionary to express my condolences, and there isn’t enough time in a day to share all the memories of the little brother that came along with being best friend’s with Michelle! Everyone who ever knew Tom should be proud of the man he became. I will always ALWAYS hold Tom and his family in my heart.
How do u possibly put into words the rare kind of exceptional, remarkable, and endearing man Tom was? Its impossible. Yet I’d like to give u a glimpse into the profound impact he had on me and my life. I met tom when I was about 14. In the periodic times we were in each other’s lives he bettered me in drastic, soul changing ways. Most profoundly in our recent time together. He took multiple, life long things? that have crippled me half my life or more and simply made them less powerful. Issues such as drug addiction, attachment issues, and past traumas, to name a few, and made it possible for me to finally start to look beyond those things and change them. To change fundamentally broken parts of myself. And he did this simply by spending time w me, caring about me, and being who he was. The recent time we spent together bettered me in soul-altering ways. I will forever be a better person and mother because of him. I am eternally grateful and honored to have had every single minute I did with him. I’m sorry there wont be more. I love u.
My sincere condolences to all the family and friends. Especially to Tom’s Daughters. After reading his story, my hart is in morning. Tom is a hero and I wish Tom and family Pease. RIP Tom I’m sure your Daughters are in good hands. “God’s Speed “ 🙏😔❤️🇺🇸
Deeply saddened by this news ! I met Tom 17 years ago spent years getting to him and becoming friends ! He had passion , dedication and would give you the shirt off his back of it was the only thing he had ! We had so many fun times and Tom introduced me to life long friends , Garth brooks , fun memories of hanging out, his military’s days (thanks for letting me wear your military training jacket when I cold at bonfires we had ) and so much more ! As the few years life happened and we were not in contact as much but I will always remember you and your kind soul/spirit ! May god watch over your family during this hard time and bring comfort ! RIP brother !
I met Tom years ago as he was a customer at the gas station I worked for.
I even watched Cecilia at one point… I am so saddened for the family he leaves behind ..
I will keep them in my prayers
My condolences, thoughts and prayers to his family and friends.
I can’t believe it’s been almost a year since I got that terrible phone call from Tom’s dad.
I thought it was a really bad joke, that turned into a horrible truth. I loved Tom like a brother and still miss him. I don’t know what to say other than I hope his girls know that for all of his shortcomings, I thought he was a pretty great dad.
It’s been a year, still miss you brother
it’s been almost 4 years. i don’t think i can even express what you meant and still mean to me. i still miss you dad, and i don’t think i’ll ever stop. you were the best dad i could have ever asked for despite our short time together. i hope you can find peace.