Thomas W. Hollen

Thomas Wayne Hollen, 77, of Grand Rapids, went to be with our Lord on Sunday, September 18th surrounded by his family.  He was preceded in death by his parents Merril Hollen and Yvonne (LaBrie) Hollen.  He is survived by his wife of 54 years Mary (VanBelois) Hollen, daughter Dr. Amy Hollen-Mott (Steven), son Todd Hollen (Rebecca), grandchildren Tobias, Seth and Maxwell Hollen, Elaina and Sydney Mott, sister Merrilyn Thompson and many other family and friends. Tom was born in Eau Claire, WI on May 28th, 1945. His family moved to Grand Rapids, MI in 1951. He graduated from Creston High School and met his future wife at a high school track meet on May 23, 1962. Mary went to the rival, South High School. They were married on July 13, 1968. Tom received his Bachelor’s and Master’s degrees from Western Michigan University and worked on a Doctorate in Mechanical Engineering at Michigan State University. Tom and Mary moved back to Grand Rapids, MI in 1978. He started golfing in 1979 and loved the game, enjoying every opportunity to play. He retired in 2014 as a professor at Ferris State University in the Engineering Department. While teaching, he led a team of students to win the Rube Goldberg Competition in 2007 and set a Guinness World Record. In 2010, he took a team of students to Tokyo, Japan where they built a bigger Rube Goldberg Machine and set another Guinness World Record. Tom was loved by many. His pride and joy were always his kids and grandkids. Grandpa was always available to give a ride, tell a story, or offer some advice. Tom will be remembered with a visitation on Friday, October 7th from 5:00-8:00 pm at First Park Congregational Church, 10 East Park Place NE, Grand Rapids, MI. Funeral services will be held at First Park Congregational Church on Saturday, October 8th. There will be time to visit with the family starting at 9:30 am, followed by the funeral at 11:00 am, with luncheon to follow. Tom has been cremated per his wishes. In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Park Church at parkchurchgr.org or the Grand River Valley Model Railroad Club at grvrrc.org.

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