Thomas Zrostlik

Thomas Zrostlik, 82, of Britt, passed away Saturday, December 2, 2023, at his home.

A funeral mass will be held at 10:30 a.m., Saturday, December 9, 2023, at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church in Duncan with Fr. Andrew Marr officiating. Burial will be in the church cemetery.

To view his service on our YouTube channel please click the following link:  https://youtu.be/nSjU_61c68A

Visitation will be held from 4 to 7 p.m., Friday at St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church with a Knights of Columbus rosary at 3:30 p.m. followed by a Scriptural wake service.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to St. Croix Hospice or to the donor's charity of choice.

 Thomas Virgil Zrostlik, the son of Frank and Emma (Falada) Zrostlik, was born May 23, 1941, on the family farm south of Duncan.  He received his education at the rural schools of Liberty Township and attended Britt High School for two years before graduating from Garner High School in 1958. Following his graduation, Tom worked at Zrostlik Tire Service and Iowa Mold and Tooling Co. On January 20, 1962, he married Louise DeWeerdt at St. Boniface Catholic Church in Garner. The couple resided in Garner for a year before moving to Waterloo, where Tom was employed at John Deere while also working part-time at Firestone and Goodyear Tire. In 1968, Tom and Louise moved to a farm near Jesup, and in 1971 moved back to the family farm south of Duncan. Tom farmed, raised crops, did custom work, and operated Zrostlik Manufacturing on his farm before joining his brother Francis at Iowa Mold Tooling in Garner and later Stellar Industries. He worked as a manager in the research and development department until his retirement in 2018. He enjoyed spending time with his family, fishing trips to northern Minnesota, Canada, Alaska and southwest Iowa as well as playing cards and visiting the casino.

He was a member of St. Wenceslaus Catholic Church throughout his life, was a 3rd degree Knight of Columbus, and belonged to the United Auto Workers in Waterloo.

Tom is survived by his wife of 61 years, Louise Zrostlik; their children, Joseph (Niki) Zrostlik of Long Grove, IA, Lynne (Jerry) Reising of Potosi, WI, Pamela (Darvin) Stecker of Fertile, and Kim (Vong) Philavanh of Fort Collins, CO; fourteen grandchildren, Chris, Emily, Emma, Zach, and Zoey Zrostlik, Nicholas (Lucy) Reising, Brianna Reising, Christina Reising (fiancé Hardage), Andrew (Jamie) Stecker, Amanda (Chase) Albertson, Anna Lee (Ben) Collins and Kaitlyn, Kiersten, and Kerrigan Philavanh; six great-grandchildren, Dillon Gerdes, Avery and Brayden Stecker, Charlotte and Catherine Collins, and Cameron Reising; sisters-in-law Barbara Zrostlik Beyer, Marie Weiss, Betty Anderson, Ida Floy, and JoAnne (Forrest) Burress; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.

He was preceded in death by his parents, Frank and Emma Zrostlik; parents-in-law, Henry and Anna DeWeerdt; brothers, Jerry and Francis; sister, Marilyn TerBeek; sisters-in-law, Josephine Barker, Anna Lou Wille, and Ramona Lau Schmidt; and brothers-in-law Allen Lau, George Barker, Orvin Anderson, Harold TerBeek, Duane Floy, Clem Weiss, Marvin Schmidt, and Glen Wille; as well as numerous nieces and nephews.