Thomas Michael Poyer

Thomas Michael Poyer | January 15, 1947 - May 3, 2022


Tom passed away in his Long Beach home after a year-long battle with bone cancer. At his side throughout his journey, was Margie, his loving wife of 45 years; their children, Jennifer and Tom (Edith); and grandson Evan. The oldest of 14 children, his siblings Nancy, Margi (Larry), Patty (Tom), Doug (Kathy), Kathy (Bob), Joe (Becky), John, Mike (Chris), Jim (Peggy), Paula (John), Matt (Kathy) and Sue, provided much support and strength to him, as well as his dearest aunt, Margaret Trembley. Tom is preceded in death by his parents Jack and Marie Poyer, and his sister Mary.

Tom was born in Los Angeles and attended elementary school at St. Paul the Apostle (Class of 1961) in Westwood, where he sold newspapers on the street corner after Sunday Mass. He later was an altar server and received the elite status of Order of the Golden Sash. At a young age, he began playing string bass when his family received a donation of several old instruments from St. Paul's. Being the oldest and tallest, the bass was a natural fit for him. Being tall also served him well when he graduated from selling newspapers to working in the family's parking lot business in downtown LA at age 12, parking cars in the various lots. Only occasionally did he get questioned if he was old enough to be driving and he always had a witty response ready. Working in the family-owned parking lots nurtured Tom's love of cars. He developed a vast knowledge of the most minute body style changes over the years, which jettisoned when he became the proud owner of a 1941 Studebaker Businessmen's Coupe - his first car purchased for him by his father.
He attended high school at St. Bernard's in Playa del Rey (Class of 1965), where he honed his musical talents as part of The Fabulous Nomads - who graced the stage of many social events of the day. Following his graduation from St. Bernard's, Tom enlisted in the United States Naval Reserve and was based out of Naval Air Station (NAS), Los Alamitos. He achieved the rank of Yeoman, Second Class, and served three years of active duty and three years of reserve duty.

During the "Pueblo Incident," Tom was instrumental in the immediate activation of 200 officers and enlisted personnel composing a carrier-based jet attack squadron and was subsequently included in a team of specialists assigned to a Northern California Naval Air Station for three months to disestablish the recalled squadron expeditiously. He received citations for accomplishments from the squadron commanding officer as well as the commanding officer of NAS Los Alamitos for outstanding performance.
Tom's string bass did not make it into the Navy Band since it was not designed for marching, but his musical talents were still put to good use in conducting the band. He still frequently played the bass when off-duty, managing to fit it into the 1967 VW Beetle that he was driving at the time. A close Navy friend encouraged Tom to relocate to Long Beach and avoid the long commute from Westwood.

At the end of his Navy service, Tom began his printing career, first overseeing printing production of financial checks at Bank Printing, and then overseeing production of bank passbooks at Western Financial Printing, where he met Margie - by phone - who lived in Chicago and worked for one of his largest customers there. Their business relationship eventually grew into much more. They met in person when Margie joined her family on a vacation to California. A day at Disneyland was followed by a romantic dinner on the Queen Mary, and the bouquet of flowers delivered prior to her return home pretty much sent their relationship in a whole different direction.

Tom and Margie married on October 2, 1976, in Chicago, and spent their honeymoon on a cross-country road trip from Chicago back to Long Beach. They moved into Tom's garage apartment on Ocean Boulevard, across from the Long Beach Museum of Art. A year later, they bought their first (and only) home in Carroll Park, where Tom lived out his life and enjoyed many remodeling projects, gardening, and tinkering in his garage. Tom was a founding member, long-time board member, and 2020-2022 President of the Carroll Park Association, which documented and designated the area as a historic district and worked to preserve the historic character of their unique neighborhood.
Tom continued to play string bass and was a member of the Huntington Beach Concert Band for over 20 years. He also played with the Golden State Pops Orchestra, Windmill Big Band, Jazz Derelicts, and eagerly accepted any invitation to stand-in as a sub with any group that had an open seat for a bass player. He was committed to lifelong learning as a bassist and especially enjoyed the mentoring of jazz bassists, Kristin Korb and Benjamin May.

Tom started his own business in 1993, Western Graphics Plus, continuing his career in printing and promotional items, with Margie as his business partner. Tom made every effort to provide all his customers with a high level of personal care and was a fierce advocate for ensuring quality in their orders. As his business grew, so did his collection of antique cars, starting with his 1948 Chevrolet Woodie station wagon. He later added a 1916 Menominee Motor Truck, one of eight known to exist, that was designed and manufactured by his great-grandfather, D.F. Poyer in Menominee, Michigan. His cars became part of the family and his children enjoyed accompanying him to car shows, helping to restore the vehicles, and researching their family automotive history. They will continue to do so in his memory.

A collector of many things, Tom had an eye for seeing treasure in the most mundane pile of "junk." His eye for design and detail served him throughout his professional career and personal life. His years working at The Broadway Department Store and Silverwood's Men's Store after high school honed his skills in product merchandising and prepared him for a successful career in sales.

Tom's love for his family surpassed everything. The highlight of Tom's life was the birth of his grandson, Evan, which he looked forward to for so many years. He couldn't wait to recreate for Evan the same memorable experiences he had as a child tinkering in the garage with his grandfather.

His Catholic faith was strong throughout his entire life and provided him much comfort during his last days.

A Rosary service will be held on Sunday, May 15 at 5:00 PM at the Chapel at Green Hills Memorial Park in Rancho Palos Verdes. The Funeral Mass will begin promptly at 11:00 AM on Monday, May 16, at St. Bartholomew Catholic Church in Long Beach, followed by interment with military honors at Green Hills Memorial Park. Please allow ample time for parking at the Church as there is only residential street parking available.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Tom's name to the National Woodie Club Scholarship Fund at https://woodies.clubexpress.com or to the Daughters of Mary and Joseph in California at https://daughtersofmaryandjoseph.org/category/development-in-california