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Thomas Joseph Poole ( Missoula 1942 )

posted: Jan 1, 2002

Tom, at age 75, died of natural causes in Missoula, Montana, on April 27, 1999. He was born in Helena, Montana, on December 25, 1923, and later the family moved to Missoula where Tom grew up and was educated.

He graduated from high school at Gonzaga in Spokane and at age 18 he trained with the smokejumpers in 1942, making two fire jumps that summer. He also enlisted for the draft that summer and joined the US Navy.

Following his discharge in 1947, Tom did an apprenticeship in carpentry and then began his own contracting business in Missoula. Over the years and until his retirement he built or remodeled many Missoula homes. He was actively involved in his church and is buried at St. Mary's Cemetery in Missoula.