More detail on this person: Former Fairbanks
resident Thomas L. (Tom) Bollaert, 57, took his
final flight on April 20, 2005, after his
courageous battle with brain cancer, surrounded by
wife Ann, daughter Amy and friends at Providence
Extended Care Center in Anchorage.
Tom was born Aug. 20, 1947, in Goshen, Ind., to
Frank and Betty Bollaert. He first arrived in
Alaska in 1965, stationed at Fort Richardson,
prior to service in Vietnam. He fell in love with
Alaska, and returned twice with the military. When
he retired from the military in 1985 as a chief
warrant officer III, he made Alaska his home. A
Fairbanksan since 1982, he had moved to
Anchorage in 2003.
After the military, he went to work for Air
Logistics of Alaska as a helicopter pilot, flying
all 800 miles of the trans-Alaska oil pipeline.
During his career he worked with the Bureau of
Land Management fighting fires, helped with the
Exxon Valdez oil spill and flew pipeline security.
During his career he received numerous
recognitions and awards.
Daughter Amy commented, "In a life characterized
by bravery, he was the bravest of us all during
his fight with cancer."
Tom loved riding his Harley-Davidson motorcycle,
flying and playing golf. He enjoyed spending
quality time with his youngest grandson, Ayden. He
was a skilled craftsman who could fix anything. He
took great pride in his designing and building
projects. He was also a Mason and a Shriner.
Tom is survived by his wife, Ann; son, Tom Jr.;
daughters, Amy, Tammy and Teresa and their
children; brothers, Ronnie and Kent; and sisters,
Sharon, Pam, Debbie and Dawn.
In lieu of flowers the family requests memorial
contributions be made in Tom's name to an
education account for his grandson Ayden
Cammaran at Alaska USA Federal Credit Union.
A celebration of life was held in Fairbanks.
This information was last updated 05/18/2016
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Date posted on this site: 03/10/2024
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