Thomas M. "Tom" Lund

Thomas M. Lund

Thomas “Tom” Lund of Mequon, WI passed away peacefully on August 20, 2024 at the age of 71 with his beloved wife of 50 years, Adele (Steinke), by his side.

Tom was born on September 10, 1952 in Eau Claire, WI to Richard “Dick” and Audrey (Barbo) Lund. As a child, Tom spent his days fishing and playing sports. In high school, he played basketball and baseball. For the duration of his life, he liked to remind his family that he once hit three home runs in one game! When not on the field, he hung with his high school crew, Steve, Pat, Dave and Kim. Together, they created their own fun, turning even the most innocent of games, like spoons, into outrageous and treasured memories.

After high school, Tom earned his bachelor’s degree in Business from the University of Wisconsin-Eau Claire, which was a launching point for a long and successful career. He specialized in managing complex projects, often involving technology, in a variety of industries, including insurance, healthcare and retail.

While his career accomplishments were many, what Tom was most proud of was his family. After four years of dating, which often centered around shooting hoops and enjoying the coldest sodas, Tom married the love of his life Adele (Steinke) in 1974. Together they raised two children, Ben Lund and Rebecca (Lund) Ehlers. Tom and Ben faced off in countless games of driveway basketball that sometimes ended with one of them falling into or through Adele’s beautiful hedges. He and Rebecca loved long conversations covering every imaginable topic, and he was her first call at 10:30 p.m. when she needed her 20-page college paper reviewed by morning. He always obliged.

In 2003, Tom welcomed his son-in-law Michael Ehlers to the family, but only after making him fill out an application to date his daughter, which took four years to process. Tom was also blessed with two grandchildren, Romeo and Sienna, who were the light of his life. He always found fun ways to entertain them and was their biggest fan at their numerous soccer, basketball and football games. They will fondly remember him for his outrageous “fibs” that he claimed were real experiences, like the time a polka-dotted elephant followed him home and stayed for dinner or the pack of squirrels that lived in his drawer.

Tom is also survived by his sister Mary (Ken Jain) Lund. Clearly she forgave him for throwing her crayons and ruining her plush bunny, because she was a loving and doting older sister until the very end. Thanks to his older brother Dick (Sallie) Lund, who was a talented pitcher, Tom had endless opportunities to practice being a catcher as a kid. Dick and Sallie hosted Tom and Adele for many wonderful evenings on their Arizona patio after a day of watching Brewers spring training.

Thanks to all those years of playing baseball, Tom had a great arm, which was appreciated by the many dogs in his life who loved to fetch tennis balls, including Alex, Reese, Gus, Doon and Eliza. He also became buds with all of the neighborhood dogs, knowing them each by name.

Tom saw the world through a lens of humor, which meant there was something always incredibly witty and unexpected on the tip of his tongue. He had the gift of making people laugh, leaving his family and friends with no shortage of funny Tom stories.

Tom was also a man of faith who enjoyed attending First Immanuel Lutheran Church in Cedarburg. He had a special place in his heart for Pastor Raasch whose friendship and spiritual guidance were invaluable.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Juvenile Diabetes Research Foundation.