UPSHUR COUNTY - UNKNOWN


Services for Lt. Col. Wesley "Tom" Kouba, USAF Ret., 91, Of Gilmer will be held Sunday April 3, 2016 at Enon Baptist Church with Bro. Ray Thompson officiating. 

The Family will receive friends one hour prior to the service.

Wesley Thomas (Tom) Kouba was born December 22, 1924, on a farm near
Rosser, Texas, and died on March 31, 2016 in Frisco, Texas, after a
brief illness. He was 91.

Tom was the elder of two children of Wesley Lee Kouba and wife, Iva
(nee Matlock). Named Wesley Thomas, in honor of his father and
maternal grandfather (Thomas Jonathan Matlock, a Baptist minister), he
was always called “Tom.” His parents and younger sister, Francis
Jenkins, preceded him in death.

Tom grew up on a cattle ranch near Ennis, TX and worked on a cotton
farm as a teenager, becoming a labor foreman at the age of 14. He
graduated from Scurry-Rosser High School at the age of 16. Originally
left-handed, he learned to write with his right hand at the age of 6,
and was ambidextrous thereafter.

Tom moved to Dallas after high school and enlisted in the U.S. Army
soon after his eighteenth birthday, earning a perfect score on the
military entrance exam. His first assignment was as a typist for the
base commander, but Tom soon volunteered for pilot training and became
a bomber pilot for the U.S. Army Air Corps. He survived many missions
throughout World War II and the Korean conflict, flew for the
Strategic Air Command during the Cold War, and retired after 22 years
as a Lieutenant Colonel. Tom loved to fly, and maintained a private
pilot’s license for many years.

After completing his military service, Tom obtained a Master of
Science degree in Industrial Technology from Texas A&M in Commerce, TX
in 1967. He earned a Bachelor of Science in Mathematics during his
years in the Air Force, with credits from several universities across
the country. Tom was an instructor of electronics and electricity at
Kilgore College for 15 years, retiring in 1983.

A Master Electrician and talented carpenter, Tom designed and built
his farm home, doing most of the work himself. He also helped build
his sister’s home, and assisted in the design and construction of the
Upshur County Farm Bureau office building in Gilmer. Tom was also a
talented auto mechanic and enjoyed working on the restoration of his
Model T Ford. He made the wheel spokes himself, and enjoyed other
woodworking projects; Tom was also a talented artist who created
beautiful gifts for family members and friends.

Tom was a Director and past President of the Upshur County Farm
Bureau, a 32nd degree Mason, a Deacon at the Enon Baptist Church, and
President of the Enon Community Center. He raised Santa Gertrudis
cattle on his farm near Gilmer and enjoyed golfing and playing canasta at
the Enon Community Center. He also enjoyed fishing, swimming, and
boating.

Tom married the love of his life, Donna Louise Smith, in Dallas,
Texas, on January 10, 1948 and was a devoted husband and father. Tom
and Donna celebrated their 60th wedding anniversary in 2008. 

Donna preceded Tom in death on April 18, 2009. They are survived by their
son, Wesley Thomas Kouba II (Elaine Cosette Stewart); two grandchildren,
Karen Elaine Davis (Matthew Cameron Davis) and
Stewart Thomas Kouba; and one great-granddaughter, Caroline Grace
Davis.

All who knew Tom will miss him, but we are celebrating his 91 years of
service to God, country and family. He has finished the race; may his
soul and the souls of all the faithful departed rest in peace, until
we meet again.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom’s memory to the Enon
Community Center.