Thomas Beaver

THOMAS “TOM” H. BEAVER, AGE 70, OF BATTLE CREEK, DIED PEACEFULLY AT HOME ON MAY 10, 2021 SURROUNDED BY FAMILY AND FRIENDS.  TOM WAS BORN MAY 30, 1950 IN DETROIT TO HERMAN AND MAXINE (CARPENTER) BEAVER.  HE WAS UNITED IN MARRIAGE ON MAY 18, 1974 TO CHRISTINE BURTON, TOGETHER THEY RAISED THREE CHILDREN; SARAH (TONY) POSTMA OF BYRON CENTER, JEFFERY (CORI CRAWFORD) BEAVER OF BATTLE CREEK AND SUZANNE (COREY) KAPE OF CERESCO.  SEVEN GRANDCHILDEN, SISTER; LINDA (KIM) APPEL OF VALLEY PARK, MO. AND SEVERAL NIECES AND NEPHEWS.  TOM WAS PRECEDED IN DEATH BY HIS PARENTS.  TOM GRADUATED FROM LAKEVIEW HIGH SCHOOL IN 1968.  HE WENT ON TO EARN HIS DEGREE IN ARCHITECTURE FROM THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN IN 1972.  IN 1972 HE WORKED FOR GUIDO A. BINDA AND ASSOCIATES INC.  FROM  1973 TO 1997 TOM WAS THE INFORMATION SYSTEMS SITE MANAGER AT POST/KRAFT IN THE  CARTON AND CONTAINER DIVISON.  FROM 1997 TO 2007 HE WAS THE REGIONAL SITE SYSTEMS MANAGER AT POST/KRAFT.  TOM VOLUNTEERED WITH VISTING NURSE SERVICE THROUGH  THE UNITED WAY.   HE WAS RECRUITED TO BE ON THE BOARD OF DIRECTORS IN 1982.  HE PROVIED LEADERSHIP FOR THE ORGANIZATION JUST AS THE NEW WORLD OF HEALTH CARE COMPUTING WAS BEGINNING.  TOM DEVELOPED AND DELIVERED COMPUTER CONCEPTS TRAINING FOR THE ENTIRE VNS STAFF.   HE EVALUATED THE VNS IT RESOURCES AND DETERMINED THAT AN ENTIRELY NEW APPROACH WAS NEEDED.  HE WAS ASKED TO FORM A COMPANY TO DEVELOP AND DELIVER EFFICIENT AND RELIABLE HOME CARE COMPUTING SYSTEMS.   IN 1983 HE HELPED START GREAT LAKES MICROSTSTEMS, INC (GLMI) TO ACCOMPLISH THIS.  THE COMPANY ULTIMATELY OVER THE NEXT THIRTY-FIVE YEARS, SERVED SCORES OF HOME HEALTH AND HOSPICE COMPANIES ACROSS THE US.  UNDER TOM’S GUIDANCE GLMI INNOVATED MANY NOVEL FEATURES WHICH ARE NOW COMMONPLACE.  WHEN PC’S WERE BRAND NEW,  MANY THOUGHT THEY WERE JUST TOYS, TOM KNEW HOW TO LEVERAGE THE TECHNOLOGY TO ADD REAL USER VALUE.  HIS BREAK-THROUGH INNOVATIONS INCLUDED COLOR GRAPHIC-USER-INTERFACE, AUTOMATED INFORMATION LOOKUPS, DISTRIBUTED COMPUTING AND NETWORK CAPABILITY, AND POINT-CARE-DOCUMENTATION FUNCTIONALITY (LONG BEFORE THE INTERNET WAS EVER THOUGHT OF).  TO ACCOMMODATE THE GROWTH OF GLMI, IN 2002 TOM ADVOCATED FOR AND INVESTED IN THE SULLIVAN DAIRY BARN OFFICE BUILDING TO GIVE GLMI A NEW HOME TO THRIVE.  WHEN TOM WAS A LEADER ON THE BOARD OF VNS, THEY INCUBATED A NEW IDEA CALLED HOSPICE CARE.  WITH WKKF GRANT SUPPORT THE PROGRAM THEY DEVELOPED, GOT THE ATTENTION OF THEN CONGRESSMAN HOWARD WOKPE WHO EMBRACED THE IDEA AND MANY OF THE PRACTICES DEVELOPED BECAME A TEMPLATE FOR WHAT BECAME THE MEDICARE HOSPICE BENEFIT.  THIS BENEFIT HAS SINCE HELPED MILLIONS OF PEOPLE MANAGE END OF LIFE CARE WITH DIGNITY AND COMPASSION, AND SO IT DID WITH TOM.  HE WAS A MEMBER AND ELDER AT PENNFIELD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH, INCLUDING A  LEADER OF THE CONTEMPORARY ISSUES CLASS.  TOM WAS LIFETIME MEMBER OF ALUMNI ASSOCATION U OF M, PRESIDENT OF BATTLE CREEK CORVETTE CLUB AND COMPETION DIRECTOR.  HE WAS ALSO A MEMBER OF THE NATIONAL CORVETTE MUSEUM, SOUTHWEST MICHIGAN HOSTA SOCIETY-GREAT LAKES REGION , TOMAC WOODS GOLF COURSE (SENIOR LEAGUE).  TOM ENJOYED WORKING IN HIS HOSTA AND DAYLILY GARDENS, TRAVELING WITH FRIENDS, MODEL BUILDING, GOLFING, THEATRE, PLAYING HIS GREAT GRANDFATHER IN THE ATHENS TOMBSTONE TOUR, CORVETTE AUTO CROSS, RALLIES, CAR SHOWS AND  MOST RECENTLY A CORVETTE PARADE AT HIS HOME FROM HIS LOVING CLUB MEMBERS.  AT TOM’S REQUEST, HE MADE AN ANATOMICAL GIFT TO THE UNIVERSITY OF MICHIGAN MEDICAL SCHOOL.  A MEMORIAL SERVICE WILL BE HELD AT A LATER DATE, WITH INTERMENT AT PENNFIELD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH IN BATTLE CREEK.  MEMORIAL CONTRIBUTIONS MAY BE MADE TO PENNFIELD PRESBYTERIAN CHURCH AND HOSPICE CARE OF SW MICHIGAN