Thomas Mueller Lastrapes peacefully passed away on Dec. 25, 2023, of natural causes in Baton Rouge, Louisiana.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents Edward and Mary Lou Moore Lastrapes. He is survived by his significant other of 19 years, Sandy Patrick, of Baton Rouge, LA, and his immediate family, Dennis Lastrapes and his wife, Masako of Metairie, LA, MaryBeth Weeser of Destrehan, LA, and Marilyn Cavazos of Laredo, TX. He is also survived by his four children from the late Susan (Judy) Abington. The children include Thomas Lastrapes and wife, Venessa of St. Francisville, LA, John Lastrapes of Springfield, LA, David Lastrapes and wife, Angie of Montz, LA, and Wendy Lastrapes and husband, Andrew Sheehy of New Orleans, LA. The grandchildren include Kaitlyn Plumb, Garrett Lastrapes, Sarah Jane Lastrapes, Elliot Lastrapes, Ysabelle Lastrapes, and Tommy Lastrapes; two great-granddaughters, Emersyn Plumb and Finley Plumb.
Tom was born in Opelousas on December 19″, 1940. He spent his younger years in Lake Charles, Louisiana and graduated from St. Mary’s High School in Orange, Texas in 1958. He then went on to graduate from the University of Southwestern Louisiana (USL) in 1963 with a B.S. in Physics. He was a proud member of Kappa Sigma Fraternity.
Upon graduation, Tom completed flight school at Reese AFB in Lubbock, Texas for the U.S. Air Force. He went on to serve as a First Lieutenant in Vietnam as a F-4C Phantom II Pilot in the 53′ Fighter Squadron “Tigers.” He flew 160 combat missions and earned the Air Medal and six Oak Leaf clusters. He also received a Distinguished Flying Cross at Cam Ranh Bay, Vietnam, for bravery in military operations. He was stationed in Bitburg, Germany. Tom was honorably discharged in 1969.
Tom and his family resided in Ronceverte, West Virginia, from 1976 through 1985. This is where Tom became a self-proclaimed “farmer.”
Tom was the former owner of Lastrapes and Associates, established in 1989, serving the oil and gas industry in sales and services. Tom thoroughly loved the art of sales and analytics. He took every opportunity to extend a short story into a long educational conversation. He was celebrated for his quick wit and love for Cajun and Ballroom dancing. Tom was a member of CFMA (Cajun French Music Association) and enjoyed weekly dancing with his partner, Sandy Patrick. Tom participated and placed in the Senior Olympics (2006) for ballroom dancing in Baton Rouge.
Tom will be greatly missed by his friends and family. We can now proudly confirm that he has one more take-off than landing.
A visitation will be held on Thursday, January 11, 2024, at Rabenhorst Funeral Home East at 9 am until service at 11.
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