Thomas Arthur Tutton passed peacefully at his home in Port Angeles, Washington on March 7, 2021.

Tom was born on October 1, 1929 in Oakland California to Anna and George Tutton. Growing up in Oakland, he attended Manzanita Elementary School, Hamilton Jr. High and graduated from Fremont High School in 1947.

Tom's lifelong love of the outdoors began as a child, influencing his choices as an adult. His family spent many vacations camping in Yosemite National Park. He began his college education at San Jose State College, transferring to the University of California, Berkeley, where he graduated with a B.S. in Forestry in 1952.

As this was the height of the Korean War, Tom skipped his graduation ceremony and went directly to basic training for the US Air Force. After completing basic, he was assigned to a geodetic survey of the Caribbean Islands in the infancy of the USAF guided missile program. In 1955 he re-enlisted to attend Officer Candidate School (OCS), where he obtained the rank of Second Lieutenant. He retired from active service in 1957 with the rank of First Lieutenant, and from active reserve in 1967 with the rank of Captain.

During his last active-duty assignment at Hill Air Force Base in Ogden, Utah, he met his wife of 59 years, Mary Ann Marchant. They were married June 3rd, 1956. The newlyweds moved to Placerville, California, and then to Redding, California where Tom worked at various jobs in the forestry products industry. During this time, the couple's two children Dan and Cheryl were born.

After changing careers to become a loan officer with the Bank of America, Tom accepted a transfer to the Bay Area where he added attendance to San Francisco Night Law School to his daily schedule after work. Shortly after starting law school, he changed employers to The Charter Bank of London. After four years of daily commute from Walnut Creek to San Francisco for full-time work in addition to nightly law school classes, Tom graduated with a Doctor of Jurisprudence in 1970 and passed the California Bar on the first attempt.

Before learning he had passed the bar, Tom moved the family to Bakersfield, California to accept a position with American National Bank. Shortly after discovering he had passed the bar, he accepted a position with the law firm of Diedrich, Bates, and Lund. After several years he was promoted to partner and retired from his own private practice in 1992.

After purchasing property in Port Angeles in 1990 in anticipation of retirement, Tom studied for and passed the Washington Bar at age 60, again, on his first attempt. Tom and Mary Ann moved to Washington State in 1994 to the home they built on the Port Angeles property. Here they became members of Independent Bible Church, where they were both active, and Tom was an elder.

Tom became a writer, penning many letters to the editor of the Peninsula Daily News, as well as a book on his close friend Anthony Sackor's early life in Liberia, titled, A Friend Thru Terror.

Tom and Mary Ann thoroughly enjoyed their retirement, which included trips to the East Coast, the UK, Canada and Alaska. Always a lover of the outdoors, Tom spent many happy hours hiking in and around the Olympic National Forest and Olympic National Park. He even founded a Friday hiking club that is still thriving today.

Tom is survived by his son Dan Tutton of Port Angeles, Washington, daughter Cheryl Salas and son-in-law Steve Salas of Tehachapi, California; grandchildren Stephen Tutton and daughter-in-law Ginny Winston Tutton of Lexington, Kentucky, and Allison Tutton of Albuquerque, New Mexico.

The Tutton family would like to thank Assured Hospice, the caregivers at Wright's Home Healthcare, and the Korean's Women's Association. They would also like to express their gratitude to Tom and Mary Ann's IBC church family and their Port Angeles neighbors who have gone above and beyond throughout their association with Tom and Mary Ann.

Donations in Tom's name can be made to IBC, Samaritan's Purse, or the Bakersfield Rescue Mission.

Drennan & Ford Funeral Home in Port Angeles was entrusted with his arrangements. Please sign the online guestbook for his family at www.drennanford.com .