A Mass of Christian Burial for Thomas Edward Klein, age 88, of Enid is at 10:00 am on Thursday, September 6, 2018, at St. Gregory the Great Catholic Church celebrated by Father Joseph Irwin. Burial will follow in Calvary Catholic Cemetery. A Rosary will be held at 7:00 pm on Wednesday, September 5, at Ladusau-Evans Funeral Home.

Thomas Edward Klein was born in Peabody, Kansas, on June 2, 1930, to Edward Klein and Emma Violet Stinchcomb Klein. He graduated from Enid High School and attended Oklahoma State University and then worked for his father at Klein Nursery.

Tom joined the Air Force and married Helen Morrison on June 2, 1951. He was stationed in Biloxi, Mississippi, and then served as a radar mechanic on Yunishima Island off of Korea during the Korean War. While he was overseas, his first daughter Nancy was born. Upon his return, Tom was stationed at Tinker Air Force Base where his second daughter Jenny was born.

After his enlistment, Tom returned to Enid and resumed work at his father’s nursery. His family welcomed two more daughters, Amy and Kathy. In September of 1960, Tom began working for the U.S. Postal Service as a mail carrier. He retired after 35 years of service, making many friends along the way.

Tom was very active in his community during these years. He and his family planted the trees in Willow West and Brookside in Enid and landscaped Autry Vo-Tech. Tom was an avid gardener. He kept his own yard looking beautiful, while also tending an additional garden across town and taking care of the flowers at St. Gregory’s Catholic Church, which he joined in 1984. He also served on the Parish Council.

Tom loved to square dance, and he and Helen were members of Dudes and Dolls as well as the Big Band Dance Club. Tom was a sports fan and loved watching his favorite teams. He enjoyed playing with his daughters, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren until his recent illness.

Tom is survived by his wife Helen, four daughters and their husbands, Nancy and Dwayne Campbell, Jenny and Dave Webster, Amy and John Garrison, Kathy and Rick Fizer, and two sisters and their husbands, Dorothy and Don Hendrie and Susan and Mike Purdum. Tom has nine grandchildren and 17 great grandchildren, who lovingly refer to him as “Poppy.”

He is preceded in death by his mother and father, his sister and her husband, Audrey and Don Hess, and his great grandson, Keaton Barrón.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to the K Club, an organization founded by his great grandson. Donations may be made online at kclubkindness.org or by mailing a check to “The K Club” at P.O. Box 3166, Edmond, OK 73083.

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