Thomas Kinberg
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- Created on Friday, 04 November 2016 15:32
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Thomas Kinberg
Former Sitkan Thomas Rodger Kinberg passed away from cancer on Oct. 23, 2016, surrounded by the love of his family and dog Ozzie, at his home in Stockton, Calif. He was 79.
He was born Jan. 24, 1937, in Sitka, and was delivered by an Alaskan Native midwife. He was the youngest of five children of Marvin Chase Kinberg, a commercial fisherman, and Alpha (Barclay) Kingberg. The other children were Marvin Kinberg Jr., Fay Nelson, Susie Sturm and Rosie Reed.
He was raised in Sitka and played basketball for Sitka High School. His junior year, 1954, the Wolves won the All-Alaska High School Championship, the only time a Sitka team has accomplished this feat.
After high school graduation he spent some time working on the family wilderness ranch (at Iris Meadows on Kruzof) before enlisting in the U.S. Navy. He was chosen to attend the Naval Academy Prep School and the Naval Academy, graduating in 1961.
While at the Naval Academy Tom was the stroke for the freshman crew team. This instilled in him a lifelong love of rowing.
Three days after graduating he married Sarah Leigh, from Norfolk, Va., in the Naval Academy chapel. They were blessed with two children, Tom Jr. and Sarah Leigh Kinberg. Tom Jr. (Christi) lives and works in Lincoln City, Ore., and Sarah Leigh Nehring (Andreas) works and lives in Senden, Germany, when not in Gibles, France.
The four grandchildren are Steven Tellyer, Michael Kinberg, Timothy Kinberg, and Laura Kinberg; and the two great-grandchildren are Andrew Tellyer and Adelaide Tellyer.
After spending six years as a naval officer, primarily at sea, he resigned his commission to enter the FBI as a special agent in 1968. After the first office assignment to Springfield, Ill., (Decatur RA) he was sent to Sacramento, Calif., in 1969, where he was assigned to the Stockton Resident Agency. He remained there until his retirement.
While in the FBI, Tom was commended by the Director for a number of high profile cases where he worked as an investigator and hostage negotiator. They included an aircraft hijacking, bank robberies and kidnapping. He was also a police instructor for the FBI. He was Senior Resident Agent in charge of the Stockton Resident Agency at the time of his retirement, in 1988.
He founded the Stockton Rowing Club in 1980, which is still in existence. He became a volunteer coach for the University of Pacific crew team. His proudest moment in 1983 was when UOP won the West Coast Championship in the four-man shell.
After retirement Tom went into the charter fishing business in Sitka with his brother Marv. When his brother passed away a year later, he continued to operate the ‘‘Tackle Box’’ for another eight years.
He was a very involved parent and Tom’s community service included Scoutmaster, Little League coach and administrator, and 4-H leader.
The family had a number of foreign exchange students in their home, from Finland, France, Japan, New Zealand, Australia and Denmark. They became an important part of his family and his life. His greatest joy came from his precious family and awesome friends.
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20 YEARS AGO
November 2004
Photo caption: Mary Lou Colliver presents Sitka Fire Dept. Acting Chief Dave Swearingen a check for $325 to help restore the 1926 Chevrolet fire truck originally purchased by Art Franklin. Colliver donated the money after her business, Colliver Shoes, borrowed the truck to use during Moonlight Madness. The truck is in need of an estimated $20,000 worth of restoration work, Swearingen said.
50 YEARS AGO
November 1974
Sitka Community Hospital Administrator Martin Tirador and hospital board chairman Lawrence Porter told the Assembly Tuesday about the need for a new hospital to replace the existing 18-year-old one. The cost would be about $6.89 million with $2.2 million of that required locally.
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