Tommy Thompson

Tommy Glenn Thompson, the son of Maurice Glenn Thompson and Effie Bernice (Colglazier) Thompson, passed away in Haxtun on Dec. 14, 2023 at the age of 87.

He was born June 11, 1936 on the George Heginbotham ranch his father had leased six and a half miles south and a half mile west of Holyoke. He attended grade school at Prairie Gem for four years until it closed and then he went to Holyoke for one year. His parents moved southeast of Holyoke after they purchased the Stickle farm and he attended Pleasant Valley for his remaining three years of grade school. He attended Holyoke High School, graduating in 1954, and during his four years he played football; was a member of FFA and served as the chapter president in 1954.

Following graduation, he worked on the construction of the Holyoke and Amherst grain elevators. He attended Colorado State University one year before enlisting in the United States Army in April of 1956 and served in Germany as a helicopter mechanic and crew chief until discharge in 1958. He was then in the reserves until 1962.

He worked as a dragline operator for the Rock Island Railroad before enrolling at Fairbury Junior College in Nebraska in the fall of 1958 where he played football for two years and graduated in 1960. He then attended Colorado State College in Greeley for one year.

In 1961, he started working at Western Vault company making and delivering burial vaults and boxes. This job included relocating the cemetery in Arboles, for the construction of the Dillon reservoir as well as another one for the construction of the Kentucky Lake near Paducah, Ken. Part of this job required a licensed mortician on site while moving cemeteries, so he went to mortuary school at Dallas Institute of Mortuary Science in September 1963 and graduated in fall of 1964.

On Dec. 28, 1963 he married Sharon Anderson in Big Timber, Mont. They made their home in Dallas, Texas, until Tommy graduated from mortuary school and then returned to Colorado, working in the Monte Vista funeral home and later in a funeral home in Great Falls, Mont. In 1969, they purchased the Radford Funeral Home in Haxtun which he operated as the Thompson Mortuary. He was also appointed as the local registrar for West Phillips County in Haxtun. He then retired in 1994 when he sold the business to Tennant Funeral Home in Sterling.

He was involved with the Haxtun Ambulance Service from 1969 through 1986. This included being a founding member of the Haxtun EMT service when it was organized in 1977 to provide modern ambulance services for the Haxtun community. He also had a private pilot license and enjoyed flying to maintain his license.

Tommy was very involved in the community and dedicated a substantial amount of his time in several areas including: past member of the Haxtun Jaycees and Haxtun Lions Club, he volunteered time to help FFA members with projects including sandblasting, he was a director of the Haxtun Community Bank from 1974-1992, he was elected to the Haxtun Town Board from 1972-1976 and was elected as Mayor of Haxtun from 1976-1984, he returned to the Haxtun Town Board from 2006-2008 and was re-elected Mayor of Haxtun from 2008-2012, he was elected Phillips County Commissioner for District 3 from 1984 through 1992 and he served as Chairman for at least two years during that time. During his years in office, he served on the Northeast Colorado Council of Governments Board, Centennial Mental Health Board and Northeast Colorado Board of Health. He was also a Director for eight years on the State Health Insurance Board (Colorado Counties Health Insurance), served as vice president for two years and was a member of Immanuel Lutheran Church.

Tommy is survived by his wife Sharon of 59 years; son Timothy and wife Julia and children Shannon and Megan; son Mark and wife Leslie and children Lia and Ryder; son Scott and wife Paige and children, Seth, Riley and Allie; brother Ronald Thompson; sister-in-law Diane Thompson; as well as numerous nephews, nieces and cousins.

He is preceded in death by his father Maurice; mother Effie Bernice; brother Lawrence (Larry); sister-in-law Sharon; and niece Debbie Thompson.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made in Tommy's name to Haxtun Health for ambulance services, 235 W. Fletcher St., Haxtun, CO 80731.

Memorial services will be on Friday, Dec. 29 at 10:30 a.m. at the Immanuel Lutheran Church in Haxtun with Military Rites. Inurnment will follow at Pleasant Valley Cemetery in Holyoke.