Thomas Alan Bruss

Tom was born in Piscataway, New Jersey on February 21, 1953 to Martin Eastman and Margret Elsie (Lerch) Bruss. He was called Home on April 11, 2023 at age 70 years, 1 month, three weeks.
As a boy, he was captivated by toy army men, tanks, and airplanes. He pieced together and painted toy models. He loved his and other people’s dogs, and they loved him.
At 18 he joined the Navy, then after 14 years transferred to the Army. He committed to not marry until after his military service because of seeing many broken marriages within the service. While in the Navy, he was discipled with teaching and Scripture memory by a para-church organization called The Navigators.
In May 1990 with one year before military retirement from 20 years of service, Tom met the girl he’d marry. Being a new comer to the Olympia, Washington church he was attending, she sat unknowingly in his pew spot while he was assisting the pastor on the platform. After assisting, he came and sat next to her, but not too closely. She thought this odd as there were plenty of other places he could sit. The next Sunday after a repeat of the same, they talked for three hours outside after church, he sitting behind the steering wheel of a truck and she standing at the driver door with the window rolled down. Finally, he felt the pressing need to deliver the hot water heater that was on the truck bed to the dump and asked if she wanted to go along. She thought about it and agreed to go to the dump on their first “date”.
Thomas Alan Bruss and Roberta Louise (Andreasen) married on March 21, 1991. God blessed them with four wonderful sons.
Tom lived his life exercising his gift of helps and took more opportunities later in life to share the salvation-from-separation-from-God-through-Jesus Christ message with others. He fully believed in giving and that God would provide because “He owns the cattle on a thousand hills and the patatas underneath.” His excercising of his gift of helps is already greatly missed. He also became of student of Scripture and was continuously reading books.
Tom was preceded to Heaven by his parents, three unborn children, and (according to his belief in Scripture) his only brother, Jerry. He leaves to Jesus his grateful wife of 32 years; sons Joshua (Caitlyn), Caleb, Levi, and Samuel; grandson Greyson Bruss; only sister Olinda Young; sister-in-law Joyce Bruss; sister’s sons Matthew and Christian; brother’s daughters Jennifer and Jessica; and additional family and friends.
Celebration of life will be May 20, 2023 at 11:00 a.m. with visitation at 10:00 until service time. Services will be at Ava Assembly of God with Pastor Paul Neighbour officiating.