Thomas C. Vestergaard Obituary (1941 - 2025)

Thomas C. Vestergaard, 83, of Six Lakes passed away peacefully on Wednesday, April 2, 2025, at Green Acres of Greenville surrounded by his family and under the care of Green Acres staff and Corewell Health Hospice. Tom was born in Lakeview, Michigan on April 16, 1941, to Peter and Ann (Haley) Vestergaard. He married Kay L. Smith on December 14, 1968, in Barryton, Michigan and together they raised five children on the family farm in Six Lakes, where Tom lived his entire life. Tom was a proud 1958 graduate of Lakeview High School where he excelled in FFA and track. He farmed his family farm, while also working at General Electric (which later became Hitachi Magnetics) retiring in 2003 after 37 years. Tom enjoyed following dirt track, sprint car, and Indy car racing and was an avid fan of Golden Gloves boxing. Together, he and Kay enjoyed traveling to Arizona and New Mexico where they collected Indian artifacts and enjoyed hiking in the Chiricahua Mountains. Tom was also a big fan of country western singer “The Louisiana Man” Doug Kershaw. Tom is survived by his wife of 56 years, Kay Vestergaard of Six Lakes; their children, Brian (Janet) Vestergaard of East Lansing, Kristen Millard of Stanton, Mary K. Thomas of Stanton, Tom (Jama) Vestergaard, Jr. of Findlay, Ohio, Pete (Mary) Vestergaard of Stanton. Tom will be missed by his grandchildren, Carson Vestergaard of Novi, Samuel Vestergaard of Los Angeles, California, Chloe Vestergaard of East Lansing, Meagan (Mitch) Sowles of Trufant, Josh (Mercedes) Millard of Sheridan, Rachael (Joel) Kinney of Stanton, Erika Thomas of Stanton, Grayson Vestergaard of Tiffin, Ohio, Mikayla Vestergaard of Grand Rapids; his great-grandchildren, Payton and Bailee Sowles of Trufant, Emery, London, Brecken, Quinn and Messer Millard of Sheridan, and Primrose Maeve Kinney of Stanton. Tom is also survived by his sister-in-law, Sandra Kraai of Harbor Springs. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Peter and Ann Vestergaard; his sister, Mary Dot Vestergaard, whom he has missed his entire adult life; mother and father-in-law, Peter & Gertrude Smith; son-in-law Erik Thomas; brother-in-law Darrol Kraai; and his beloved dog, Boomer. In accordance with Tom’s wishes no services will be held. Tom’s family would like to extend their sincere appreciation to the staff of Green Acres of Greenville, for the exceptional care they gave him during his stay there. Special thanks go out to Paige and Alex with Corewell Health Hospice and to all of the friends Tom made at Green Acres for their friendship, kindness and compassion. Memorial contributions can be made in Tom’s name to Corewell Health Hospice in care of the Corewell Health Foundation-West Michigan, 100 Michigan Street N.E., Grand Rapids, MI 49503 or donate online at: https://give.corewellhealth.org/hospice-donation. To send a message of sympathy to the family, sign Tom’s online guest book, or to share a favorite memory, please visit: www.MichiganCremation.com Cremation arrangements are entrusted to Christiansen’s Michigan Cremation & Funeral Care, Greenville, 616-754-5638.