Thomas Thorwald Brekka, 1928-2001. Tom Brekka died the evening of January 25, doing what he loved best, taking one of his twice-daily strolls around the neighborhood. He loved looking up into the mountains to see if there was snow on top and looking in the sky to see the airplanes he knew so well. He walked religiously so that he would stay healthy and have many years to come to spend with his wife, his 10 children and his 13 grandchildren, with two more on the way. If anything, Tom Brekka was a man who cherished children. And every child who knew him knew what it meant to be cherished. Even the neighborhood children couldn’t pass him by without singing out, “Hi Tom! Hi Tom! Bye Tom! Bye Tom!” Tom Brekka was a Second Lieutenant in the United States Air Force during the Korean War, but thankfully was kept out of action so he could train other navigators at the Air Force Academy. In 1952 he married the love of his life, Patricia Flynn and together they raised 10 children: four boys and six girls. Tom was perhaps most proud of having put all 10 children through college. He’d get a special gleam in his eye when he’d tell people “we have 10 undergraduate degrees and 4 graduate degrees”. Five including his own recent MBA from UC Irvine. Tom had received his Bachelor’s Degree in Business and his Doctorate of Law from Fordham University, shortly after retiring from the Air Force. Yet he always wished he had gotten his MBA. So, in 1997 he fulfilled that dream, at 70 years of age, when he graduated from UC Irvine’s 21 month Executive MBA Program. He will be remembered and missed for his tremendous love and affection for all people, but especially for his own family. He always had a kind word, or a silly joke, a tickle, a smile, a hand to lend. He loved to make people laugh and best of all, he loved to jump out at you when you least expected it. We have been so blessed to have had him as a husband, father, brother and grandfather. “I love you Tom. We love you dad. Thank you for your undying love and affection, your wisdom, your integrity and your strength. Your belief in God and in each of us as individuals has emboldened us. You gave us the tools to live fruitful lives and we each carry a part of you in our hearts. We know a lot more about Heaven because we know you are there.” His spirit lives on in the hearts of many, his wife of 48 years, Patricia Brekka, of Mission Viejo, CA; his brother, Larry Brekka of McClean, VA; his children, Patty, Tom, Rosemary, Cassie, Michael, Christine, Richard, Kevin, Maureen and Susan; and his grandchildren, Allison, Kimmie, Kyle, Candace, Marshall, baby Brekka, Aaron, Michael, Natalie, Julia, Emily, Michael, Adam, Maggie, Dylan, baby Heironimus and all the future Brekkas. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: The C.H.O.C. Foundation “Children’s Hospital of Orange County”, 455 South Main Street Orange, CA 92868. Please include a brief note indicating: “donation in memory of Thomas Brekka for children’s cancer research, please notify Mrs. Brekka” and a note will be sent to Patricia Brekka by the hospital.
