Thomas Lee Angel was a member of Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation" and a great Dad. He was born at home in Akron, Indiana on 08/11/1926 to Fern Cleo Hetzner and Frank A. Angel. He grew up in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, attending Forest Park Elementary School and Northside High School. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1944 at age 17 and served on the ship PC 1146, cruising the Pacific Ocean. He left the Navy in late 1946 and returned to Ft. Wayne, Indiana. Dad owned and operated his own gas station in Ft. Wayne on the corner of Estelle Avenue and Highway 30. It was there that he met his first wife, Margie Eleanor Bixler, as her bus stop was right...
Thomas Lee Angel was a member of Tom Brokaw's "The Greatest Generation" and a great Dad. He was born at home in Akron, Indiana on 08/11/1926 to Fern Cleo Hetzner and Frank A. Angel. He grew up in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, attending Forest Park Elementary School and Northside High School. He joined the U.S. Navy in 1944 at age 17 and served on the ship PC 1146, cruising the Pacific Ocean. He left the Navy in late 1946 and returned to Ft. Wayne, Indiana.
Dad owned and operated his own gas station in Ft. Wayne on the corner of Estelle Avenue and Highway 30. It was there that he met his first wife, Margie Eleanor Bixler, as her bus stop was right there on the corner. They married in La Grange, Indiana in 1950.
Dad loved motorcycles and owned a Harley-Davidson. He and mom made a bike trip up to Milwanee to visit the Harley Plant there.
The first child, Jeanette F. Angel was born in Ft. Wayne on 04/12/1951. Soon after, Dad was recalled into the Navy for the Korean conflict. He served on the USS Rockbridge for the next 1 ½ years, staying on the east coast of the U.S.
In the meantime, Dad's parents Frank and Fern moved to Florida, taking Mom and the baby Jeanette "Jean" with them. They settled in Winter Park.
Dad bought our first house in Orlando back when it was dirt streets and orange groves. My brother, Jeffery Lyn was born 08/09/1954 and my sister Emily was born 01/21/58 Dad and Mom eventually divorced a few years later.
Dad then met and married his soul mate, Joyce, in January of 1978. She was the light and love of his life. They did everything together. Once they retired, they made a 3 month trip all over the United States in their van. Dad and Joyce moved into the valley in Apopka in 1997 and made many wonderful friends. They were always happy, always helpful, always friendly and got involved in bingo, ladies and gentlemen's pool, coed pool, cook-outs, Sunday breakfasts, holidays parties, cards, with many trips to Tallahassee, Lehigh Acres, Tennessee, Kentucky, Connecticut and Wisconsin to visit the family.
Joyce left us on 02/08/10 and Dad missed her terribly. He continued to make trips wherever he could, taking several with his daughter, Jean and Emily. His most favorite trips were to Indiana to rediscover his roots.
In 11/2010, Dad, Jean and daughter Emily drove to Indiana where we looked up his schools and the homes he grew up in. His most favorite trip to Indiana was again with Jean in 11/2011. Using just two photographs we were able to locate the house in Akron where he was born and the farm in Disko where his mother was raised and where he visited from time to time as a little kid.
Dad had one brother, John Sewell, who died on 12/25/2001. His sister, Tudie, is 92 years old and lives in Vero Beach.
Dad has 3 children, Jeanette Fern Angel Johnston of Daytona Beach, Jeffery Lyn Angel (Melenia) of Holly Hill, and Delilah Emily Angel Josephs (Paul) of Port Charlotte. Joyce has three children, Janie Bentley (Alan), Larry Monds (Debbie), and Amy Garcia. Together they had 11 grandchildren and 6 Great Grandchildren.
Dad was a wonderful father who taught us all how to be respectful, honest, organized, hard-working, happy, friendly, and have a wonderful sense of humor.