Thomas Irvin Gould

Thomas “Tom” Irvin Gould Sr, 98, passed away peacefully on Friday, January 6, 2023 in Santee, California. He was born August 27, 1924 to Irvin and Sophia (Osowiecki) Gould in Buffalo, New York. 

Tom proudly enlisted in the United States Navy on June 12, 1942 at the Naval Training Station in Sampson, New York where he performed his duties as a Porter prior to serving on board the USS Price for 2 years during World War II. He was honorably discharged as a Gunner’s Mate Third Class having received multiple military recognitions including the Victory Medal, American Campaign Medal, European African 1 Star Medal, Asiatic Pacific Medal, Presidential Unit Citation Medal and the World War II Victory Medal. 

After completing his Naval service, Tom worked a long and fulfilling career in the masonry and construction field as the owner of his company, T Gould Masonry, and worked on the jobsite every day, even after his retirement in his 80s. He loved the sense of fulfillment that comes with creating and building tangible things, many of which are still present from homes in New York to countless builds in San Diego County. 

Tom loved his family and became such a dedicated grandfather, especially after retirement. He loved making personalized Easter baskets for his grandsons and would even walk to the dollar store in his late 90s to pick out the treats, always saying it was his favorite thing. He spent countless afternoons at the park watching his grandsons play and was known to be the best baby holder in the Gould family. He shared such a special relationship with his children and grandchildren throughout these last 18 years; from his epic trip to Washington DC with Tom, Emily and grandson Tommy to attending school performances and every holiday in between. Tom was also the greatest conversationalist, frequently sharing interesting stories from his military days and wonderfully humorous events he experienced during his long and full life.

Tom is survived by his former wives, June Sutton and Ana Peralta; children, Tom Jr, Nancy, Karl, Beatriz, Tom III, and Genevieve; his grandchildren, Michelle, Brian, Shon, Tiffini, Crystal, Kristen, Sherri, Ginger, Teresa, Kelly, Tommy, Brendan, Andrew, Christopher, Daniel, Noah, Kenneth, Damon, Carlos; his great grandchildren, Brett, Matthew, Shalena, Desirae, Autumn, Madison, Carly, Ava, Bria, Helayna, Elinor, Khloe, Waylon, Haven and Peyton; his great great grandsons, Hayden, Kyler and Wyatt. 

Tom is predeceased by his parents, Irvin and Sophia; his sisters, Kitty (Gould) Spoyer  and Jeannie Gould;  and his children, Marty and Carlos. 

Services will be held at the Miramar National Cemetery on March 2, 2023 at 1pm.

Attendees should arrive by 1230pm and park in Lane 1. 

5795 Nobel Drive, San Diego, CA 92122

Miramar National Cemetery - National Cemetery Administration (va.gov)