Thomas Echavez

Thomas “Tom” Echavez of Novato, CA passed away on February 14, 2026 at the age of 94. He was born and raised in Paauilo, HI, which at that time was a prominent sugar plantation town on the Hamakua Coast of the Big Island of Hawaii. He was the fourth of ten children. After graduating from high school, he joined the US Army and was deployed to Korea toward the end of the Korean War.

While in Korea, Tom received a letter from Margaret “Peggy” Quintana. The Hamakua Coast on the Big Island was filled with several sugar plantation towns. Peggy was born and raised in a neighboring plantation town in Hawaii. On the weekends there was a dance in Paauilo or one of the other neighboring plantations and everyone was welcome to come. Peggy would go to the dances with a girlfriend. Tom would always ask her to dance the last dance with him. She left Hawaii after she graduated from high school and moved to San Francisco, CA. Peggy wrote several young men from home she knew were in Korea. Tom enjoyed her letter and wrote back. They continued exchanging letters while he was stationed in Korea. He eventually proposed in a letter and she replied, “Yes.”

Tom was discharged from the Army in early 1955 while stationed in Fort Ord, CA. He and Peggy married in May 1955 in San Francisco. While living in San Francisco, they had a number of siblings and in-laws live with them from time to time. They moved to their forever home in Novato, CA in 1965.

Tom and Peg returned to Hawaii in 1972 for the first time after leaving in 1951 when they visited to attend Peg’s parents’ 50th wedding anniversary. The changes on the islands, especially on Oahu, after 20 years were quite shocking. But they returned a few more times in later years. In 2005, thanks to their children, they enjoyed a vacation with their children and grandchildren to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

Tom worked as an architectural draftsman in Marin County for 65 years. In his younger days, in his spare time, he enjoyed fishing, sometimes after work, or on Saturday or Sunday and during summer camping trips with his family. He was very creative, working in many different medias, sketching, painting and even sculpting occasionally. He sometimes took the family for rides on the weekend, taking pictures of scenes which he’d use as inspiration for some of his artwork. He also enjoyed working on or around his home, building furniture, remodeling, gardening, or tending his goldfish and koi ponds which he designed and built. He could be found in the kitchen cooking some of his favorite Filipino, Portuguese or seafood dishes or making pickled vegetables or curing salmon. During the summers, he’d often be in the backyard barbecuing chicken or salmon for family get togethers. He enjoyed watching Westerns and Samauri movies or television shows on TV. He’d sometimes watch movies or shows in foreign languages he didn’t speak or understand. Later in life, when it became difficult for him to stand for very long, he’d spend a lot of time watching movies or shows On Demand. At times he found it difficult to find movies or shows to watch because he’d seen most of them already.

His memory will be cherished by many, but none more so than his beloved wife of over 70 years, Peggy, and their children Trinette (Mike), Michael and Melodie (Hank), their grandchildren Matthew (Nabiha), Helena, Hawk (Megan), Jack and Taryn. He was blessed and thrilled to welcome his first great-grandson, Henry, a few months before his passing. Unfortunately, he didn’t live long enough to meet his second great-grandson, Ferhan this year. But his legacy will live on in both of them. He is also survived by three sisters, many nieces, nephews and cousins.

A funeral mass will be held on Tuesday, April 21 at 11:00 AM at St. Anthony’s of Padua Church, 1000 Cambridge St., Novato. A reception will follow in the church hall.