Thomas Singer

Dr. Thomas R. Singer, age 60, of Portage, MI died Friday, October 28, 2016, in Rochester, MN, after being diagnosed with multiple myeloma five years ago. Tom was born August 5, 1956, in Waupun, WI, the son of Betty (Elandt) and Paul Singer. He graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1977 (Phi Beta Kappa) and the University of Wisconsin Medical School in 1981. He was a member of the Alpha Omega Alpha Medical Society. Tom accomplished that education on academic scholarship and by working as a taxi driver, a nursing home attendant, and as a prison guard. While completing his residency in ophthalmology at UCLA he met his wife, Marianna (Jacobs). They were married in 1987. Tom practiced as an ophthalmologist in Modesto, CA for nine years before moving to Portage in 1995, where he joined the practice of Dr. Frank Sassaman in Kalamazoo. When Dr. Sassaman passed away in 2008, Tom moved his practice to its current location in Portage. Tom's sense of wit and ongoing humor brightened the lives of his family and friends. His many interests included hunting, fishing, travel, politics, the Detroit Tigers, and riding his motorcycle. Most special to him were his children. His son, Will, was his buddy and he loved the motorcycle rides they took together. He shared with his daughter, Emma, the special bond that a girl can only find with her father. He was close to his staff and took a lot of enjoyment in his patients. Tom was a member of St. Michael Lutheran Church and found much comfort in his faith in Christ. Tom was preceded in death by his parents and by his brother, Steve Singer. He is survived by his wife and children, and by his brother, Jim (Laurie) Singer, in Ft. Collins, CO, and by his sister, Karen Klein, in Spokane, WA. Services will be held Wednesday, November 2nd, 2 p.m. at St. Michael Lutheran Church, 7211 Oakland Drive in Portage. A family memorial will be held later in Negril, Jamaica (Tom's absolute favorite place) to scatter his ashes. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to SEE International (https://www.seeintl.org), Hospitality House of Kalamazoo (hhhkz.org), or to please donate a unit of blood in honor of the countless units he received. Arrangements by Langeland Family Funeral Homes, Portage Chapel.