Thomas Joseph Meal

Thomas Joseph Meal, 72, a Carson City resident since 2004, died June 26, 2007, at his home.

Mr. Meal was born Feb. 23, 1935, in Cleveland to Joseph and Anne Meal.

He grew up and attended schools in Cleveland and graduated from Case Western Reserve University with a bachelor's degree in physics.

He married Sarah "Sally" Layer on March 10, 1977, in Cleveland.

Before moving to Carson City, he lived on the Bruffey Ranch in Pine Valley for 20 years.

Mr. Meal worked as a quality control engineer for several manufacturers of medical devices. He was a member of the Democratic Party, the Experimental Aircraft Association, the American Radio Relay League (call sign N7ZT).

He enjoyed traveling abroad, exploring the Great Basin, designing radio antennas, attending air shows, and studying astronomy and other scientific fields.

Among his survivors are his wife, of Carson City; daughters Jane Childers of Los Alamos, Calif., and Monet Meal of Mayfield Village, Ohio; sons Thomas Meal of Washington D.C., and Jeffery Saloka of Chesterland, Ohio; stepchildren Laura Bird of Carson City, Scott Kling of Centennial, Colo., and Janet Kling, PhD, of Austin, Texas; brothers Laurence Meal of Grand Rapids, Mich., and David Meal of St. Cloud, Fla.; sisters Marianne Andrews of Avon Lake, Ohio, and Joanne Carly of Murphy, N.C.; two grandchildren, four step-grandchildren, and numerous nieces and nephews.

Family members will gather in his memory at the Grand Canyon at a later date.

Memorial contributions may be made to the Nevada Nature Conservancy, One E. First St., Reno, NV 89501 or to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson's Research, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, N.Y. 10163.

Autumn Funerals & Cremations is in charge of arrangements.