Thomas Joseph Zaiontz, 90 years of age, passed away peacefully on February 6, 2024, following a short illness.

Thomas was born on August 26, 1933, in Falls City, Texas to the late Frank and Theodosia Zaiontz.  He was the youngest boy in a family of 11 children.  He is survived by his loving wife, Agnes Kiselica Zaiontz, and his four (4) children – Kathy Zaiontz McNair (Mike), Judy Zaiontz Jones, Patrick Zaiontz (Lavonne), and Cindy Zaiontz Heldring.  He is also survived by his six (6) Grandchildren – Courtney McNair (Matt), Lauren Jones, Taylor McNair, Jacob T. Heldring, Thomas P. Zaiontz and Jennifer Heldring along with his Great Grandchildren – Tate Friddle-McNair and Cole Friddle-McNair.  Thomas is also survived by his younger sister, Patsy Zaiontz Payne.

In following the footsteps of his older brothers, Thomas chose to join the military.  He joined the Coast Guard and served proudly during the Korean War.   Thomas continued to honor those before him by remaining active with the American Legion and VFW.

Upon his return, Thomas met the love of his life Agnes, while attending a local dance in Lentz.  From there, the two (2) continued their love of dancing, whether it was at another hall, family wedding or in their living room over the next 67 years.  During this time, Thomas shared his love of flying with Agnes as he engaged in crop dusting in the Falls City area and occasionally did fly-bys over Agnes' home.  He then continued to sweep her off her feet with additional trips to San Antonio and Puerto Rico.

After marrying Agnes on April 4, 1956, in Hobson, Texas, they moved to Victoria, Texas.  While in Victoria, Thomas became a truck driver.  From there, his job took him to Houston, Texas, where they put down their roots and began their family.

Thomas then began his career at Mustang Tractor as a diesel mechanic.  While working at Mustang, Thomas received many accolades for his service and dedication to not only the company, but the many clients he worked with.  As a result of Thomas' knowledge of the product and ability to work closely with the clients, moving to a Sales position seemed a natural progression in his career.  He then remained in this role until his retirement in 1995.

While Thomas had a strong passion for working on diesel engines, he also found his passion by being in the outdoors.  He loved hunting and fishing.  Thomas shared this love with his family by either being on the lake in his boat or fishing in Galveston.

Thomas also found time to share his love of baseball.  He coached his son in Little League Baseball and continued to "coach" his grandsons on the sport he loved.

Both Thomas and Agnes loved adventure.  They went camping and travelled abroad visiting numerous places and countries.

Thomas also found extreme joy in planting a garden and harvesting his goods.  He was also very proud of his farm in Lovelady and the cows he called his friends.   Thomas felt one of his greatest fulfillments in his retirement years was to have a farm where his family could enjoy fishing, Bar-B-Qing, going on hayrides, harvesting Christmas trees and relaxing as a family.

A visitation will be held Monday, February 12, 2024 from 5:00 pm to 8:00 pm with a rosary to begin at 6:00 pm at Klein Funeral Home-Cy Fair 9719 Wortham Blvd. Houston, TX 77065. A funeral mass will be held Tuesday, February 13, 2024 at 10:30 am at St. Maximilian Kolbe Catholic Church 10135 West Road Houston, TX 77064. Burial will follow at Memorial Oaks Cemetery.