Nov 29, 1956 — May 20, 2018
Thomas (Ted) Edwin Poland left this earthly realm on Sunday, May 20, 2018, at the age of 61, in Sacramento, after a brief but valiant battle with neuroendocrine cancer.
Born Nov. 29 1956, in Lincoln, Neb., to Burdette C. Poland and Nancy (Aubrey), he was a devoted husband to Kitty Jo Poland (Larson); and beloved father of Tyler (Ashley Grossman), Conor and Jake. He was surrounded by his family at the time of his passing. He is survived by his wife and sons, his mother, brother Bruce, and sister Amy; he died seven weeks to the day after his own father’s death.
A graduate of Claremont High School, Ted earned a bachelor’s degree in history at Whitman College. Upon graduation, he studied landscape architecture, and later gemology, achieving a graduate gemologist diploma at the Gemological Institute of America.
Early employment with Krementz Jewelers in Newport Beach led him to a career with the Citizen Watch Corporation. He enjoyed a 30-plus year career as one of Citizen’s top sales professionals, winning the League of Excellence award in 2006. He traveled widely in the course of his career, and was energized when given the Alaska territory in the final years of his tenure, getting to see a part of the country not widely visited.
Known for his effervescent wit, his energy, his kindness and his boundless intelligence, Ted was widely read and was a font of information on everything from health to history. He was an avid cyclist, kayaker and an accomplished horseman. He had a special love for camping, and, with Kitty Jo, enjoyed numerous voyages in their Westfalia “Ark” in the year-and-a-half of his retirement. In 2016 Ted adopted two Siberian Huskies (Bo and Annie) from NorSled Dog Rescue. His calendar-worthy photos of their adventures were a delight to friends and family.
Ted’s greatest joy was invested in raising his three accomplished sons. He celebrated their talents in sports, music and medicine, and loved them unconditionally. Gone far too soon, it is safe to say that his last two years — spending time with Kitty Jo, their boys, and their dogs — were the happiest of his life.
In lieu of flowers, please send any tributes to Northern California Sled Dog Rescue at http://http://www.norsled.org/how-to-help/
Ted's junior year class photo - 1974
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Craig Frank Culotta (1975)