Thomas Jones Moutoux
Sept. 13, 1938-April 18, 2017
Cupertino, California
Submitted by Kimberlie Moutoux
Thomas J. Moutoux was the second born to Katherine and John Moutoux on September 13, 1938 in Knoxville, Tennessee. He was raised in Falls Church, Virginia where he attended high school and as a Boy Scout earned the rank of Eagle Scout.
Tom attended Cornell University In Ithaca, New York earning a Bachelor of Science in Electrical Engineering in 1961. At Cornell, he met his future wife, Marianne Brindley. They were married in June of 1961 and he began his career at Transitron in Boston, MA. Daughter Kimberlie was born in Boston in August of 1962. In the spring of 1963, the family moved to California where Tom joined Fairchild Semiconductor. In November of 1964 their son David was born in Los Altos where the family lived for the next 16 years.
With two partners, Tom formed Communications Transistor Corporation in 1969. He worked for five years at their San Carlos facility. At the age of 35, he sold the company to Varian Associates and devoted the rest of his life to being an engaged father and husband, working in the community on environmental issues.
Tom worked in the solar industry developing a shut off system for recycled water. He walked the riparian corridor along the San Francisquito Creek and checked for illegal effluence. He worked with a team of scientists studying the effects of chemical runoff from farms in the Central Valley under Governor Jerry Brown. In 1979, he went to Nepal for 3 months as an advisor to 18 young men building schools and developing well water projects.
Tom and Marianne were active members of Creative Initiative Foundation in Palo Alto for many years where Tom worked at the headquarters. In 1983, they moved to Des Moines, Iowa for 2 years under the auspices of Beyond War where they organized at the grass roots level. They continued this work in Minneapolis, MN, for an additional 2 years. During this time, Tom worked with a team of scientists and writers to create a book with a companion team in Russia. He traveled on a speaking tour through the US and Russia when the book, Breakthrough- Emerging New Thinking, was completed.
The couple moved back to California in 1989, where Tom worked locally on several environmental issues. His passions were birding, astronomy, scuba-diving, skiing and hiking. He joined the Environmental Volunteers and taught elementary and middle school students and lead hikes for several years in San Mateo County. He was also a very active member of the Hawk Watch at the Marin Headlands.
Tom worked with the Golden Gate Raptor Observatory and the Peninsula Open Space Trust. He participated in the Cornell Ornithology Thanksgiving Bird Count and the Christmas Bird Count. And he enjoyed the many miles of hiking trails in Santa Clara and San Mateo County.
On April 1, 2015, Tom and Marianne moved to the Forum in Cupertino where they quickly settled in. Tom built a wrap-around desk in the corner of the kitchen so he could observe the birds outside his windows as they nested on the nearby trees or soared overhead. From this comfortable vantage point, Tom spent his last months enjoying the breathtaking beauty of Rancho San Antonio Open Space Preserve.
On May 26, 2016, Tom was diagnosed with stage 4 lung cancer. He spent the last 11 months trying every treatment and intervention to battle this terrible disease. Throughout it all, he never lost his smile and good humor or his will to live. He never complained or wondered why me? He just took on each challenge and continued to ask, “What’s next?” He always felt he had options. On Tuesday, April 18, at 12:39 am he was out of options and passed surrounded by his wife Marianne, daughter Kimberlie, son David and his wife, Nicole.
Thomas is survived by his wife of 56 years Marianne, his two children David and Kimberlie, his daughter-in-law Nicole, his brothers Charles and John of Virginia, his grandchildren Amitabh, Andrew and wife Kristi, Maggie and husband Antony, Alex and Nina and his great granddaughter Lexi.
Tags: teacher/educator, public service
