John Rausch

John Thomas (Tom) Rausch, 83, of Kaiserslautern, Germany, died Monday, Feb. 26, 2024 in the Westpfalz-Klinikum in Kusel Germany of natural causes. Tom was born September 21, 1940 in New Hampton to Neil and Esther (Behrens) Rausch. He married Renate Kennel April 25, 1967, in Kaiserslautern, Germany. 

After earning a B.S. in engineering from the Air Force Academy in Colorado Springs, Colorado in 1962, he began his career the the U.S. Air Force in the same year. During his active duty, he did several tours in Germany, where he met his wife, Renate. He was also stationed in Lansing, Michigan, Vietnam and Washington D.C. Tom retired from the military as a Leutenant Colonel in 1983. He then worked for Logicon, Inc. and the Mitre Corporation in Ramstein, Germany until his retirement in 2015.

He had a love of the outdoors and was an avid hunter. He truly loved skiing and spent several weeks a year in the Alps, particularly in Austria and Italy. He also enjoyed the finer things of life, such as good food and red wine.

Tom is survived by his daughter, Susan (Susie) Rausch and her husband, Karsten Rausch of Hamburg, Germany. He is also survived by his sisters Cathy Balik and Betty Johnson; and his brother Alan Rausch. He was preceded in death by his parents and by his brother Gerald Rausch and his infant brother Anthony.

Services for Tom were held in Kaiserslautern, Germany April 12.