Thomas Loch

With deep sorrow but boundless love, we announce the passing of Dr. Thomas Adam Loch, lovingly also known as Dad, Grampy, Uncle Tom, and Tom. Tom was born in Detroit, Michigan, on March 13, 1945, to Adam and Helen (Maczka) Loch. On July 25, 1969, he married the forever love of his life, Norma Peterson, at St. Valentine’s Catholic Church in Redford, Michigan. Just shy of their 57th wedding anniversary and at the age of 81, Tom passed away on July 14, 2026, in their home in Howell, Michigan. Over his lifetime, Tom touched many lives with his exceptional intelligence, unwavering loyalty, trademark humor, limitless love, and his compassionate and generous heart.

Tom had a brilliant mind and a particular passion for the physical sciences (especially chemistry, physics, astronomy), mathematics, and computers; he received his PhD in Chemical Engineering from Wayne State University (Detroit, Michigan) in 1970. He worked for Ford Motor Company as a Chemical Engineer for decades, where he generated novel paint technologies that yielded multiple patents. He relished helping his kids and grandkids with their homework and college coursework, and was known on occasion to buy used college calculus textbooks and do the problems “for fun.” His passion for science fueled a parallel love for science fiction and a fascination for potential life on other planets/elsewhere in the universe; his appreciation for chemistry enabled him to harness chemical reactions for fun, fiery explosions and teach his kids how to do so (under controlled conditions of course!). The twinkle in his eye on Fourth of July will be dearly missed.

But Tom will be most remembered for his endless love and devotion to his family, whom he loved deeply and generously. He loved his wife fiercely to his last day on Earth and beyond, and his entire family knew he would do anything for them. Tom spent endless hours for 30+ years maintaining a pristine pool for his family to enjoy without he himself swimming in it and at his own peril (he could not swim!). Likewise and despite not being an outdoor enthusiast (an understatement) or a swimmer, Tom jumped into a pond to catch a turtle with his bare hands for his son, who had unsuccessfully spent days trying to do so with a net and pole.

His timely humor and classic stories brought many laughs to all, and already dearly missed are his numerous staple sayings after eating a filling meal (“I’ll never eat again”) or a salad (“You can’t beat beets”), following someone saying “So…” (“Sew, Knit, Crochet, Tat”), and when it was time to leave (“Lettuce go he said crisply”).

Tom will be missed by many, but particularly by his wife, Norma Loch; his children, Lisa (Jay) Carter, Christine Kowalski, Thomas (Mary) Loch; grandchildren Ethan (Athena) Loch, Hailee (Andrew) Loch, Joseph Kowalski, Ava (Anthony) Kowalski, Penelope Loch, and Eric Loch; sisters-in-law and brother-in-law Pat (Lloyd Wells) Peterson, Rita (Edward Kelly) Peterson, Jane Peterson, Erik Peterson, and Susan Gingola; and many nieces and nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, Adam and Helen Loch, and his “Aunt Pat.”

Tom’s family and friends will gather from 4:00-8:00 PM on Thursday August 6, 2026 (7:00 PM Rosary Service) at Borek Jennings Funeral Homes in Howell, Michigan. His Mass of Catholic Burial will be held at 10:30 AM on Friday, August 7, 2026 (9:30 Gathering time) at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Howell, Michigan. Father Gary Koenigsknecht will serve as the celebrant. In lieu of flowers, Norma prefers memorial contributions to Capuchin Soup Kitchen, St. Joseph Parish Food Pantry, or St. Francis Friends of Poor. Please leave a message of comfort for Tom’s family at 1-877-231-7900, or sign his guestbook at www.borekjennings.com.

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