Thomas Henry Pickles, 87 of Lompoc, California passed away on September 30, 2024.

Tom was born and raised in Plymouth, Massachusetts. After high school, he joined the U.S. Air Force. His 20 years in the service took him to the Azores, Kansas, Colorado, Florida, Germany, New Hampshire, and finally to the tracking station at Vandenberg Air Force Base in California. While stationed in Kansas, he met and married his wife, Barbara. After retiring from the Air Force, he spent the rest of his working years in Aerospace. This career path took him to places as close as Florida and as far away as Thule Greenland. After fully retiring, they decided to make Lompoc home. Tom always enjoyed playing racquetball, fishing, scuba diving, and golf especially. He filled many of his retirement days driving for Community Partners in Caring as well as various other volunteer activities. He was honored with several awards including Volunteer of the Year for RSVP and Volunteer of the Year for Community Partners in Caring.

Tom was an active member of the Knights of Columbus at Queen of Angels Church. He held various positions with the Knights including Grand Knight, Color Corp, and District Deputy.

He is survived by his wife of 66 years, Barbara, and their seven children: Sjana (Alec) Doohen, David (Sandra) Pickles, Craig (Lisa) Pickles, Keith (Julie) Pickles, Kevin (Jill) Pickles, Chris (Angela) Pickles and Michele (Dean) Bassi. He is also survived by 12 grandchildren and 7 great grandchildren.

In lieu of flowers, please donate to Catholic Charities of Lompoc or a charity of your Choice.

A Funeral Mass will be held on Friday October 11, 2024 at 10:00am at Queen of Angels Church followed by a graveside service at the Lompoc Cemetery with Military Honors.

There will be a reception at the Elk's Lodge in Lompoc immediately after the graveside service.