Thomas Diesing

Thomas Edward Diesing, 87, of Rockford, Illinois, passed away peacefully on Wednesday, February 1, 2023. Thomas was born on July 9, 1935, in Detroit, Michigan, to Thelma and Arnold Diesing. He attended General Motors Institute and received his B.S. degree in Industrial Engineering. He went on to work for General Motors for 35 years. He married the love of his life, Mary Frances McBane, in 1962. They were married for 48 years, and raised 5 children in Grosse Point Woods, Michigan. Tom, an avid Red Wing fan, built an ice rink in the backyard every year for his children to enjoy. His love of hockey has been passed down to his children and grandchildren.
Tom moved his family to the country in Brighton, Michigan where they enjoyed gardening, canning, camping, skiing, swimming, kids sports activities, and an even larger ice rink. Tom and Mary retired to Indian River, Michigan, where they enjoyed boating, fishing, volunteering at their church, Cross in the Woods, and traveling. Tom enjoyed volunteering for Knights of Columbus and Baraga Catholic Radio, and treasured time spent with his family. Tom could fix anything and everything, always saved spare parts just in case he would need them down the road. Tom moved to Rockford, IL, in 2015 to be closer to family while dealing with health issues. In 2017 he moved to the Grand Victorian, where he met his beloved companion, Gerry. Together they enjoyed eating out, sitting on the patio or by the fireplace, watching movies, listening to beautiful music and attending church. He is survived by his children, Barry (Pam) Diesing, Bonnie (Jim) Maas, Brad (Kee) Diesing, Beth Hannaford, Brenda (Bryan) Marquardt; 16 grandchildren; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law Larry and Eileen, Julie and Art; 15 nieces and nephews; beloved cousins; devoted companion, Gerry Gullickson.  He was preceded in death by his beloved wife, Mary (2011); brother, Jerry (2016).  Services for Tom will be at 10:00am on Friday, February 24th at Grand Victorian in Rockford, Illinois. Mass and internment will take place at a later date in Indian River, Michigan. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Cross in the Woods Endowment Fund, 7078 W. M-68 Highway, Indian River, Michigan 49749. Stateline Cremations is assisting the family, 6204 Forest Hills Road, Loves Park, Illinois 61111. StatelineCremations.com