Thomas F. Zacho - Rochester

Thomas Fredrickson "Tom" Zacho, 53, of Rochester, died Friday, March 30, 2012.

The funeral for Tom will be held Saturday, April 7, at 11 a.m. at the River Park Chapel at Macken Funeral Home. A visitation will be held one hour prior to the service Saturday at the River Park Chapel.

Tom was born in St. Paul on Jan. 6, 1959, to George T. and Ruth Heinrichs Zacho. The family settled in Cannon Falls in 1965 and raised three children – Tom, and younger sisters, Christine and Patty. The family grew up tending George’s 25-acre gladiolus fields. Over the years, many of the Zacho children’s classmates were offered summer jobs cutting flowers, pulling weeds and digging the bulbs in the fall. After Tom’s service in the U.S. Marines, he resided in Rosemount for several years and then settled in Rochester.

On Tom’s extremely generous side, he spent many years working two or three jobs to earn extra money to buy as many clothes, toys and supplies as possible for several orphanages in the Ukraine. Tom’s mother would knit 3-4 sweaters a week for Tom to take to the orphaned children.

Tom worked in various capacities for Crenlo Company in Rochester for many years.

Tom was preceded in death by his father.

He is survived by his mother, Ruth of Richardson, Texas; two sisters, Christine of Pearblossom, Calif., and Patricia of Allen, Texas; and one niece, Angeleena Rene Zacho of Plano, Texas.

About two years ago Tom had some health issues leading to the removal of a five-pound spleen and a diagnosis of Lymphoma. Thereafter, Tom chose to go through the emotional and physical pain of chemo treatments alone, without the family’s knowledge. Regrettably, Tom felt the suffering from extended chemo treatments was more than he could bear and he took his life.

Most importantly, Tom had accepted the Lord Jesus Christ as his personal Savior, and was a devoted Christian. By the grace of God, Tom is absent from his body of pain and is now face to face with the Lord.