Thomas Short

Thomas Short, age 92, of Plymouth passed away on May 18, 2026, in Tucson, Arizona.

He was born on July 9, 1933, at his home in Detroit, Michigan to his parents, the late Ellen (née Edwards) and John Elliot Short. Thomas was the beloved and devoted husband of Dr. Fern Espino, and the late Rita Short; loving father of three children – Thomas Short, Jr., Camilla Short-Camilli (Gerry), and Suzanne (Chris) Sutton. He was the proud grandfather of Andrew, Gian, Kaia and Corin and great-grand-father of Cosi, Violet and Erza.

He was deeply loved and will be greatly missed by his sister, Alice Short. He was preceded in death by his siblings William Short, John Short, Ellen Renshaw and Elizabeth Paulk.

Thomas attended Western High School in Detroit, Michigan and achieved a bachelor and Master of Science degrees in Mechanical Engineering from Wayne State University in Detroit. He proudly served his country in the United States Army during the Korean War and served as a Company Clerk and Medic while stationed in Germany.

After his military service, he was employed by the Chrysler Corporation Missile Division as an engineer on the Jupiter Mission, building Jupiter Missiles for the United States Army. The Chrysler Corporation was the prime contractor for the U.S. Army's Redstone and the U.S. Air Force's Jupiter Intermediate Range Ballistic Missile (IRBM) during the Cold War. Operating out of the Michigan Missile Plant in Warren, Michigan, Thomas played a part in Chrysler’s manufacturing over 100 Jupiter missiles.

From 1963-1984 Thomas was a professor of Mechanical Engineering at Kettering University in Flint, Michigan. He became an expert in computer aided design (CAD) and computer aided manufacturing during that time.

In 1989 he joined Munro and Associates where he was the first Munro associate and the “leader of the band”. Thomas was a living example of “one man can make a difference.” He worked on projects in automotive, aircraft, aerospace, medical, industrial and even kids’ toys. During that time, he was requested to write technical textbooks which were subsequently published. He retired from Munro and Associates after many years.

Thomas also owned and operated a company called Silent Sports which sold boats and cross-country skis. He operated several cross-country skiing areas in Flint and Charlevoix, Mi and was a skiing instructor. During his lifetime, Thomas owned a 500-acre farm and campground with riding horses in Charlevoix, Michigan.

Thomas was a well-known and respected musician. He led bands as a guitar and bass guitarist in the Flint area. He enjoyed all genres of music, but most especially jazz, bossa nova and opera. Thomas and Fern LOVED to dance and took every opportunity to attend galas and social events that included music and dancing.

Thomas was very athletic. At age 12, he and his friend Billy Miller rode bikes from Detroit to New York City. Later in life, he was an award-winning sailor in the Port Huron to Mackinac race and later became a North American champion in his Butterfly sailing vessel. For fun, he enjoyed drawing cartoons of Uncle Melvin and Aunt Tillie.

Family and friends may visit the Schrader-Howell Funeral Home, 280 South Main Street, Plymouth, Michigan on Wednesday, July 8, 2026 from 2:00 P.M. until 7:00 P.M.

A Funeral Service will be held at First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth, 701 Church Street, Plymouth, Michigan on Thursday, July 9, 2026 beginning at 11:00 A.M. The Funeral Service will be live-streamed by the First Presbyterian Church of Plymouth.

For those who wish to honor the memory of Thomas Short, you are invited to make a contribution to Detroit Opera, 1526 Broadway Street, Detroit, Michigan 48226 or online at Detroit Opera. Thomas very much loved Detroit Opera.

Detroit Opera contribution envelopes will be available at the Funeral Home.