Tomas Edward Postma
1934-2025
Tom died at Goleta Cottage Hospital from acute pneumonia.
Tom was born in Whitinsville, Massachusetts to Thomas Postma and Jennie Visbeek. He graduated from Whitinsville High School and joined the U.S. Navy where, when initially tested, discovered that his abilities led to an assignment as ship’s electrician. Following his stint in the navy, he later enrolled for one year at Worchester Academy to better his preparation for Worcester Polytechnic Institute where he graduated with honors. He became a Ford Foundation grantee at University of Illinois for his master’s in electrical engineering. There he met his future wife, Barbara Mayer, and in June 1964 they married.
He gained employment at AC Sparkplug (later Delco Electronics) in the Apollo Space Program. He-and Barb-moved t0-Milwaukee, Wisconsin. Two sons were born there, Michael and David.
The Delco division moved to Santa Barbara in 1972. When the Apollo program terminated, he gained employment with Raytheon back in Massachusetts in 1978.
Two years later he moved back to Santa Barbara with Delco again, this time in the auto division, happy to be back and not having to shovel snow as he had during the Massachusetts blizzard of 1978. Lytton acquired his services when his division was sold and worked on the space launches at Vandenberg.
He then worked at Pacific Information Systems in his “retirement years” The next ten years he spent happily touring the United States (all 50 of them) with his wife from Alaska to the Florida Keys to, of course, Maine for lobster. The last ten years he resided at Maravilla retirement community.
Tom is predeceased by his parents, his brother Donald, and brother-in law Paul Mayer. He is survived by his wife Barb, his son Michael (Juliana) of Ventura and their children (Giovanna and Lucca), his son
David of San Diego, his sister-in-law Susan Mayer and her children, and his sister-in-law Cheryl Postma and her children.
The family wishes to thank his doctor Robert Wright and Goleta Valley Cottage Critical Care unit for their kind and attentive services. Per his request, no services will be held.
