Thomas Webb

It is with great sadness that we announce the passing of Thomas Todd Webb on May 21, 2025, at the age of 92 while surrounded by family. He was a beloved father, husband, grandfather, and friend.

Tom was born on May 18, 1933, in Glendale, CA. to Chauncey Webb, a carpenter working as a set builder in Hollywood, and Dorothea Webb, a nurse. Tom graduated from North Hollywood High School in 1951 where he was an active and well-rounded student, playing both football and the trombone. Tom and his younger brother, Jerry, spent many afternoons together working on their Chevys or exploring the nearby mountains, pastimes that became lifelong hobbies for Tom. After high school, Tom served in the Navy during the Korean War. In 1958 he married Patricia J. Katrenick and together they had 5 children. Tom earned a bachelor’s degree from San Jose State University and a master’s degree from Stanford University in Electronic Engineering. He spent most of his career as an aerospace engineer working at Lockheed Martin in Sunnyvale, CA.

Tom was a man of strong character, a great provider, and a present, committed and loving father. He epitomized what it meant to be a hard worker, beginning every day with a workout that often included a mile run, followed by a full day or more of work at Lockheed Martin. At home, Tom was always busy building floor-to-ceiling bookshelves and walk-in-closets, landscaping and gardening, working on cars, planning backpacking trips for the family, teaching us how to drive a manual car, and helping with our math homework. He taught us many things including how to Alpine ski and navigate the waves of the Northern California beaches. Tom worked hard to empower each of his children with the tools to stand up on our own. He instilled in us resilience, self-reliance, a steadfast commitment to healthy habits of the body, mind, and soul, a sense of wonder about the world he loved, and valuable problem-solving skills. His love was unconditional, and we were fortunate to have Tom as our father.

After Tom’s first marriage dissolved, he met Armine’ Fermanian, a nurse with whom he found much happiness and a shared love to travel. Their favorite places to visit included Hawaii, Mexico and Destin, FL. After retiring, Tom and Armine relocated to Asheville, NC, July 1995, and were married on September 3, 1995, in Pasadena, CA. In true form, Dad oversaw the building of their home in Asheville, adding his own modifications including a finished basement and extensive landscaping, doing much of the work himself. For almost 15 years Tom volunteered weekly building sets for Asheville Community Theatre bringing with him the knowledge gained watching his father do the same during the Golden Era of Hollywood. Tom and Armine’ moved to Givens Estate in December of 2019 to spend their ‘twilight’ years together.

During his retirement Dad put his thoughts to pen and paper and wrote “Our Spaceship Earth” in which he likens Earth to a self-contained ship floating through space. This quote summarizes Tom’s love and concern for the planet, his understanding of God, and his hope for his descendants: “I hope that if people start thinking of Earth as a spaceship, custom made by God to carry humans on God’s journey into the distant future they would be more inclined to conserve all of Earth’s resources so that future human generations can continue to be a part of the journey.”

Tom is survived by his wife, Armine’ Fermanian Webb, his children, Kathleen Webb, Christi Augustine (John Roth), Mike Webb (Traci), Sue Bockrath (Dave) and Becky Webb as well as 11 grandchildren. He was predeceased by his father, Chauncey Webb, his mother, Dorothea Webb and his beloved brother, Jerry Webb.

A Memorial Service will be held Saturday July 12, 2025 at 10:00 am in the Norma Pulliam Chapel at Givens Estates.

Memorial contributions may be made in his honor to support Disabled American Veterans DAV.org/ways-to-give/ or the American Red Cross redcross.org. In lieu of donations please consider a random act of kindness in Tom’s honor.

Groce Funeral Home’s Lake Julian team is assisting the family.