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<p><em>Thomas Edward Ramskill</em> (aka Edward Thomas George) was born on July 30, 1956 in Hollywood, CA to Lieutenant Colonel Ellsworth Palmer George Jr. (Retired) and Gloria Valjean George. Tom grew up an Army brat who moved around a lot (Fort Knox, KY; Fort Lewis, WA; Fort Bragg, NC; Fort Leavenworth, KS; and Vilseck, West Germany). He thought being an Army brat was a great life and looked forward to exploring new communities and making friends. Tom loved the outdoors and enjoyed collecting critters (turtles, frogs, crawdads, snakes, praying mantis, etc.). His cool mom let the animals stay in the house for a few days before their expulsion. Tom excelled at Twin Falls High School (Idaho) in both sports and academics. </p>
<p>In 1974, he was one of five students from the high school to be accepted into the United States Military Academy at West Point. Tom had a tight circle of friends at the Academy. West Point bulked up his 6-foot, 5-inch frame, and he was known for being one of the best boxers in his weight class. During his time at USMA, Tom earned his airborne wings and did his Cadet Troop Leader Training with an infantry unit at Fort Hood, TX. </p>
<p>After USMA, Tom partied at the University of Idaho as a Tom Selleck “Magnum PI” look-alike and bouncer at the most popular bar in town, “Rathskellers.” While living it up, he still maintained his academic rigor and graduated with a Master of Science in structural engineering and a Master of Business Administration. Later in life, Tom earned a doctorate from one of the best structural engineering programs in the country at Virginia Tech. Tom was always proud of being a USMA graduate. He decorated his den with West Point memorabilia, attended class alumni events, and cheered at Army Football games around the country with his classmates.</p>
<p>At his first engineering job, Tom calculated engineering specifications for the floor truces of the Columbia Center, which is the tallest shiny black building that can be seen in the Seattle, WA skyline during Seahawk football games. After getting laid off due to an economic downturn, Tom traveled to Los Angeles, CA and matured his engineering craft by supporting home remodels, which became his lifelong work. Self-employed, he made a hot and cold living in southern California producing engineering specifications for home remodels and earthquake repair. His clients included Hollywood stars like Marlon Brando, Charles Bronson, and Bette Midler.</p>
<p>Lonely, Tom married a Pilipino American woman and divorced her twice, primarily due to cultural differences. He then declared that he would never marry again and remained single the rest of his life.</p>
<p>Standing up for the little guy, Tom served as an expert structural engineering witness against State Farm Insurance and for the victims and homeowners of the Northridge earthquake. Very patriotic, he volunteered his unpaid engineering services to conduct structural assessments of homes after Hurricane Katrina. Tom walked door-to-door across New Orleans neighborhoods with an ailing hip to help the rebuilding process begin. Afterwards, he got hip replacement surgery and set off metal detectors for the rest of his life.</p>
<p>In 2002, he moved to San Diego, CA and started going by Tommy. Still self-employed, Tommy was very disciplined and successful at producing results (a trait that endured since West Point). He built an impeccable professional reputation as a Ph.D. structural engineer and member of the Structural Engineers Association of San Diego. John Farrell, a general contractor who worked with Tom on several projects said: “I fondly remember the time he and I crawled under a house that had only 12 inches of vertical crawl space! We wedged and clawed our way around the perimeter, dodging spiders, cobwebs, and mud puddles, all the while taking measurements and photos…but mostly we were laughing about our predicament. He was brilliant and down to earth. A gentle soul, but a man’s man. I know he is missed by all of us who have had the pleasure of knowing him!” </p>
<p>Tommy was sociable, often conversing with strangers he had just met, and generous to his friends. Tommy had fun traveling with friends. He took multiple cruises to Alaska, Mexico, and Quebec. He did bucket list things with his brother: visiting all the 9/11 sites; American Revolution and Civil War battlefields; doing a road trip of all New England states; traveling to Seattle and Vancouver, Canada; checking out Monticello and Jefferson’s architecture at University of Virginia; and touring the Biltmore Estate, Outer Banks and Kitty Hawk, Nashville, Annapolis, and museum and sites in Washington DC. One of Tom’s main activities in San Diego was planning and purchasing premium tickets to summer rock concerts (Santana, Joan Jett, Led Zeppelin, Doobie Brothers, Steve Miller Band, Van Halen, Blake Shelton, Sugarland, etc.) He had a social girlfriend and went to many parties associated with military community and charity art auctions. His main hobby was singing karaoke, and he put a lot of effort into it by hiring a vocal coach and practicing. He sounded like Johnny Cash but also liked to sing Bob Seger songs. Tom also managed his mother’s affairs with loving care. He had planned to retire at age 70 and thought about moving to Nashville, TN with his girlfriend. The silent killer, cardiovascular disease, took him while he was asleep in his home at age 65. Thomas is survived by his brother James, sister Carolyn, and 94-year-old mother Valjean. </p>
<p>Tom had the following calligraphy art in his home from an unknown author, which sums up how he lived his life: “Nothing is forever. Catch your happiness when you can before the moment flies away forever.”</p>
<p><em>— James Ramskill </em></p>
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