Thomas Sator's Obituary
With deep regret and sadness, we announce Thomas D. Sator of Foster City, CA passed away peacefully the morning of Thursday, November 30, 2017 at the age of 94. He is predeceased by Lore, his loving wife of 67 years and survived by his son Robert, his daughter-in-law Pamela, and his grandson Brian. Tom was born in Budapest Hungary on June 21, 1923, the son of Dezso Sator and Theresa (Turk) Sator. He came to the United States in the spring of 1939 as a Jewish refugee, living initially with his aunt and uncle, Al and Aranka Spencer, and cousin Joan in San Francisco, California. He joined the U.S. Army in the spring of 1943, becoming a U.S. citizen in early 1944. He served in combat with the 4th Armored Division in the European theater of World War II later becoming a Counter Intelligence Agent. While stationed in Germany he met his future wife Lore Bub. In 1947 Tom returned from his military service to San Francisco, California where he and Lore were married. Tom graduated from Golden Gate University in 1952 and began his career of over 50 years in public accounting. Tom was an avid sailor and longtime member initially in the Encinal Yacht Club and later in the Oakland Yacht Club. He was an active member of a number of organizations over the years including the Optimist International, the Burlingame Kiwanis, Burlingame Civic Club and the San Francisco Humanities. In recent years Tom volunteered his time at the Military Vehicle Technology Foundation in Portola Valley where he assisted in tours of the private museum always taking great pride in showing visitors an example of the Sherman tank he drove during the war. Tom was an intelligent, gentle and generous man who always took the time to say a kind word, tell a funny story or give an attentive ear to someone in need. He lived a rich and full life and his parting will leave a great void for all those fortunate enough to have known him. Family and friends are invited to pay their last respects at his Burial Service at the Skylawn Cemetery (Hwy 92 Skyline Blvd,San Mateo, CA 94402) on Friday, December 8th at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Jewish Family & Children’s Services of San Francisco (www.jfcs.org).
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