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THOMAS DIRA(1946 - 2016)

Thomas Daly Dira September 17, 1946 - April 24, 2016 Tom was born in Tacoma WA to Nicholas and Evelyn Dira. He graduated from Mt. Tahoma High school in 1964. He joined the Navy and served in Viet Nam as a Navy Medic with the Marines. He was awarded the Navy Cross. He married Carrie Gates in June of 1970. He earned a Master's at UC Dominquez Hills. He worked as a Medical Technologist before getting a job with the US Government. He and his wife moved to Virginia in 1977, where they worked and lived 32 years until they were both retired. His position with the Office of Technical Service called for many and varied trips overseas and to South America. He was very proud of escorting General Mikhail Kalashnikov for several weeks when he visited the D.C. area. Tom and Carrie returned to Tacoma in 2009 where they have been living since. Tom was an avid hunter of deer, elk, and geese. He collected antiques of all types. He recently joined the local Model A Ford club, and had been working on updating his 1930 Coupe. His bright smile, his ready wit, and his gentle kindness will be greatly missed. He is survived by his wife Carrie, his sister and her husband Wes and Marie Goss, his niece and her husband Eric and Elena Marie Gruner, his great-nephew Nicholas Gruner, his aunt Cristina Dira of Anaconda, MT, and many cousins. A memorial service will be held on Wednesday, May 4th, at 11:00 at the Piper-Morley with Oakwood Hill Funeral Home. Please sign guestbook at www.PiperMorleyMellingerFH.com

Funeral Home

Piper-Morley with Oakwood Hill - Tacoma
5436 S PUGET SOUND AVE TACOMA, WA 98409
(253) 472-3353

Published in News Tribune (Tacoma) on May 1, 2016