November 30, 1939 – July 7, 2025

Thomas Monstad was born November 30, 1939 in Sydney, MT to Arthur and Beatrice Monstad. Tom (aka Papa Tom) passed away peacefully at home, surrounded by his wife, kids and family on July 7, 2025, after bravely battling Alzheimer’s Dementia disease for many years.

In 1946, Tom moved with his parents to Kent, WA, where they bought a dairy farm on East Hill. Tom attended school in the Kent School District until his graduation from Kent Meridian High School in 1958. After graduation, Tom worked, and excelled, in the field of Auto Body Paint and Repair, which lead him to teach classes at the Perry Institute in Yakima, WA for several years. He later worked in the Kent area at local body shops until he was asked to teach classes at the Renton Technical College (

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