Tom Kuster died at the Klein Center in West Burlington, Iowa, at 12:11 a.m. on Tuesday, November 3, 2026, with his daughter Beth at his side and the Christmas carol “Go Tell It on the Mountain” playing on his record player. His cremation was entrusted to Iowa Cremation in Cedar Rapids.
Born Thomas Taylor Kuster on February 13, 1938, in Burlington, Tom was the son of Zachary and Jeanette (Trump) Kuster. He married the love of his life, Claudette Jean “Jeannie” Brown, at Grace Methodist Church on February 18, 1962. The two remained devoted to each other until Jeannie’s death on May 17, 2023.
In addition to his daughters Tamara (West Burlington) and Elizabeth (Brooklyn, New York), Tom is survived by his sisters Karen (Larry) Eickmann, Jan (Frank) Hennenfent and Deborah Eastburn (Don); his sisters-in-law Jaye Taylor, Claudia (Reb) Rehman, Debbie Dotson, Tina Brown, Kim Kienast and Jackie Brown; his sisters-in-law Gerry, Sherry, Joyce and Linda Kuster; his best friend and former brother-in-law Dino Ganakes; his half-brother Dan Grinstead, whom he embraced later in life; and dozens of nieces, nephews, cousins and friends.
Tom was preceded in death by Jeannie, his beloved wife of 61 years; his parents; his sisters Mary and Sandra; his brothers Dwight, Dean, Dennis and Doren; Jeannie’s parents Claude and Bernice Brown; his sisters-in-law Marilyn (Norm) Pilgram, Dianna (Chuck) Dickinson and Linda (Larry) Seitz; his brothers-in-law Pat Levins, Michael Finnegan, Jim Eastburn, John Kienast and Bradley Hildebrant; his nephews Kieron Finnegan and Shane Smith; his niece Rachelle Pilgram; his dear friend Jim Truitt; many close friends and in-laws; and his boyhood dog, Shep.
A celebration of Tom’s life will take place at First Christian Church at 1221 Park Avenue in Burlington at 11:00 a.m. on Wednesday, 11/11, with food and fellowship to follow at the church. The family hopes many attendees will step up to the mic to talk about Tom. The service will be livestreamed on the church’s website for those who can’t attend in person; visit https://www.burlingtondoc.org.
Please visit Tom and Jeannie’s memorial bench by the gazebo in Burlington’s Perkins Park. To celebrate Tom by listening to his favorite songs, check out the Spotify playlist “Sing Along with Tom” at https://tinyurl.com/4ad3mjhf