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Thomas R. Uphill ( Missoula 1956 )

posted: Mar 30, 2016

Tom, 80, passed away January 19, 2016. He was born April 19, 1935, in Fernie, B.C., and was a graduate of the University of Montana School of Forestry. He was a smokejumper from 1956 to 1963 and made over 100 fire jumps. Tom was a squadleader and foreman at Missoula and he ended his years as a smokejumper as Administrative Officer for the Missoula Equipment Development Center.

Tom then began a career marked with promotions to increasingly responsible positions, moving to a position in Business Management for the Division of Engineering in the Forest Service's Region Five Regional Office in San Francisco, California. He then moved to a position with the Forest Service's Region Three headquarters in Albuquerque, New Mexico followed by a tour in Eugene, Oregon on the Willamette National Forest. His last move was to Portland, Oregon, the Regional Office for Region Six. While there, he was the Regional Budget Officer and was responsible for Program Development and the Resources Planning Act in one of the Forest Service's most complex Regions.

Tom was a Foursquare pastor and chaplain at Legacy Meridian Park Hospital.