Tom Buege

Thomas K. Buege, 65, of Waverly, IA, formerly of Waukon, IA, passed away peacefully with his family by his side on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at University of Iowa Hospital in Iowa City, IA. Memorial services will be held Saturday, September 19th, at 10:00 AM at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon with Fr. Daniel Knipper officiating. The service will also be live streamed on the church's facebook page:https://www.facebook.com/waukonareapastorate.  Friends will be able to greet the family and enjoy a meal following the service from 12:00 - 3:00 PM Saturday at Empty Nest Winery, 1352 Apple Road, in Waukon. Martin-Grau Funeral Home in Waukon is handling arrangements.

Thomas Kevin Buege was born May 1, 1961, in Waukon, IA, to Wilford “Bill” and Dorothy (West) Buege. He was baptized and confirmed at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Waukon, and graduated from Waukon High School in 1979. Following graduation, Tom worked for Fred Carlson Company on the paving/asphalt crew. In the fall of 1980, he enrolled in the general machinist program at Hawkeye Tech in Waterloo, graduating in March of 1981; Tom immediately began working for Rada Manufacturing in Waverly as a tool room machinist. His coworkers called him “Tommy” and he worked there until retiring in January of 2022.

On August 8, 1981, Tom married his high school sweetheart Lisa Mellick at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Waukon; they raised two children: Bethany and Thad. Tom was a proud father, uncle, and grandfather. He was blessed with four beautiful grandchildren: Kodie (10) and Carson (8) of Grand Lake, CO, and Baylor (9) and Beckett (5) of Iowa City. He loved sharing stories and photos of his grandchildren and would always say, “That’s why you have kids.”

Growing up, he was in Boy Scouts, Cub Scouts, baseball, and golf. Tom loved the outdoors, whether he was riding his Harley, doing yard work, fishing, hunting deer, turkey, or pheasants, and shooting guns. He was also a member of the Waverly Archery Club, Pheasants Forever, and the National Wild Turkey Federation. He enjoyed trips to the Colorado mountains, where he loved to fish. Tom liked watching NASCAR on TV and even attended a few races. He was an avid collector of NASCAR memorabilia, including sheet metal, coins, and was always on the lookout for a license plate he didn’t already have.

He is survived by his wife Lisa; children: Bethany (Tim) Good of Grand Lake, CO, and Thad (Keevan) Buege of Iowa City; his grandchildren; a sister Donna (Darwin) Winke of Thornton, CO; his father- and mother-in-law Tom and Mary Mellick of Waukon; and several nieces, nephews, and great-nieces and nephews.

Tom was preceded in death by his parents and his brother Dan (Signe) Buege.