Ainsley Thomas Neiss

Colonel Ainsley Thomas “Tom” Neiss, United States Air Force (retired), 96, of Shalimar, passed away on Sunday, September 13, 2020.

Tom was born on August 17, 1924 to Arnold and Emma (Finke) Neiss of Wayzata, Minnesota, the eldest of five children. Tom graduated from Wayzata High School in 1942. With World War II raging, he enlisted in the Army Air Force on February 21, 1943 as an Aviation Cadet. He graduated in Class 44-F, was rated a pilot, and commissioned a Second Lieutenant, Army of the United States on June 27, 1944. 2nd Lt. Tom Neiss became a B-24 Airplane Commander on October 28, 1944 and completed Combat Crew training February 23, 1945. Tom and his bomber crew then headed to war, assigned to the 2641st Special Group (Provisional) based at Rosignano Airfield, Italy. He flew combat missions in a black B-24 with the 885th Bomb Squadron inserting Office of Strategic Services (OSS) agents behind enemy lines in Italy and the Balkans and supplying resistance and partisan forces operating in these areas. Tom was one of only a few servicemen who remained on active duty post World War II. He served and continued to fly in Europe after the war with the 36th Troop Carrier Squadron. While flying with the Special Air Missions Squadron in post-war Germany, Tom met a fellow American (a civil servant) far from home. He and his wonderful wife Dorothy “Dottie” Winona Foutch (of St. Joseph, Missouri) eloped to Switzerland and married on June 15, 1956. They walked through their life together, hand in hand, for the next 50 years. Together, they had two children—Victoria and Tom Jr.—and continued to serve.  He returned to combat in the Vietnam War (1967–68) flying AC-47 gunships with the 4th Air Commando Squadron. His commands included TUSLOG (Turkish–United States Logistical Group) Det. 29 (Istanbul Air Station Commander) in Istanbul, Turkey before his assignment to Vietnam, and Commander of Binh Thuy Air Base during Vietnam (post AC-47 duty). He retired as a Colonel (O6) in 1974 after nearly 32 years of honorable service to our nation in the United States Air Force. Various business adventures including insurance and establishing a real estate brokerage filled his and Dottie’s years until they retired to Shalimar in 1992. In retirement, they loved to take weeks-/month-long road trips, driving their car thousands of miles around the country visiting old friends and enjoying life until Dottie passed away in 2005.

Tom was blessed to find love a second time late in life, and in 2007, he married Helen Louise Gibson. Tom and Helen seamlessly blended their two families, and he was the glue that held us all together. They enjoyed 10 wonderful years of marriage and more travel adventures before Helen passed away in 2017.

Tom was a wonderful husband, father, grandfather, and great-grandfather, an honorable Christian man who loved God, his family, his friends, and his country. He will be remembered for his infectious optimism, his easy smile, his kind heart, his generosity to both friends and strangers alike, his enduring faith, and his splendid character. Tom was a believer.  He brought out the best in everyone he met and made us want to be more like him. We won’t forget his trademark Stetson cowboy hats, but more importantly we won’t forget that Tom Neiss was a gentleman—Tom Neiss was a gentle man.

Tom is preceded in death by his first wife, Dottie; his second wife, Helen; his parents, Arnold and Emma; and his siblings, Richard, Douglas, and Monie. He is survived by his two children and their spouses (Victoria and Michael Lederhos and Tom and Lynne Neiss), and his five grandchildren (Julia, Laurel, and Angela Neiss; Emily Neiss-Moe and her husband, Brady; and Michael Lederhos Jr.). His surviving Minnesota family includes his sister (Kay Weyrauch) and her children (Tom’s nephews and nieces: Rick (Lori) Weyrauch, Barbara (Joe) Miska, Kelly (Diane) Weyrauch, and Tracy (Mark) Undestad). He is also survived by the members of his blended family: his step-children and their spouses (Bill and Beth Gibson and Patricia Davie), his step-grandchildren (Barbara Gibson Koval and her husband, Tim; and Lauren Newman and her husband, Bryce), and his step-great-grandchildren (Avery, Luke, Addie, and Bennett Koval).

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Tunnel to Towers in Tom’s name. A memorial service will be scheduled in a few months’ time. Please check back for more information.