Timothy Jay Thomas

Timothy Jay Thomas, 62, a Colorado native, was born August 11, 1962, and passed away October 10, 2024. He is preceded in death by his parents Fred and Donna Thomas; brother, Richard Thomas; his Grandma Cape, with whom he was especially close. Tim is survived by his loving wife of over 40 years, Nancy; his children: Heather Schenkel, Ashley (AJ) Caldwell, Michelle (Josh) Harris, Joey Thomas, Timmy (Megan) Thomas, and Eliza Thomas; his grandchildren Aiden, Kaeline, Sam, Jake, Lilly, Jude, Ella, Lydia, Freddy, Hailey, and Sullivan; his siblings: Janet (Danny) Boyd, Greg (Martha) Thomas, Nancy Colvin, Ross (Marie) Thomas, and Darla (Gary) Jackson. He is also survived by numerous nieces, nephews, extended family, and friends. Tim graduated from USC (University of Southern Colorado) in 1984 with a bachelor’s degree in Geology and an associate’s degree in Mathematics. Tim was a man of science - he loved all aspects of scientific exploration. He had a lengthy career with numerous organizations with many different titles. Two major highlights of his career are 25 years spent with Sanborn Map Company, and the 10+ years he spent working for Colorado Springs Utilities (CSU). Through his years with Sanborn, Tim would always describe his work to his kids as him being “a mapmaker,” which really meant he was a GIS professional. Tim took that GIS experience to CSU and excelled, ultimately leading a crew of surveyors and other GIS professionals. Tim was a lover of all sports, and if he spent the day inside, you could find him in front of the TV watching some sort of game or race. A home team fan through and through, Tim loved all the Colorado teams, even when they were terrible. Though a lover of all sports, there were some that were definitely his favorites. Golfing was a way for him to connect with both his parents and his children, football was a childhood pastime, and bowling allowed him and Nancy to get away from the kids at least once a week. His athletic ability shined in any sport he played, but bowling is something he can claim to have been perfect, at least once, having bowled an incredible 300 game. Those of you who know Tim know that at least one sport is still missing, baseball. Whether he was playing it himself, watching his kids play, or watching games on TV, Tim could not get enough of baseball. He played baseball (and softball) from the time he could walk until the game was too much, at which point he began playing only softball. His kids always loved to go to Dad’s softball games after work (even if it was just to play at the park). Once his kids began to play baseball themselves, Tim transitioned his baseball career into being a coach, coaching teams that both Joey and Timmy played on. Through that coaching, he was able to impart wisdom and life lessons to many young players. Tim and Nancy even participated in the creation of an entire new little league for kids in Falcon, High Plains Little League. When not coaching or playing, he somehow found time to umpire as well, umpiring for little league games throughout the area and for different age groups. Tim was an active person throughout his life. When not playing sports, he enjoyed looking for fossils, crystals, or even just cool rocks by going on hikes. As his children aged and joined him on hikes and walks, they became accustomed to looking at the ground for all the treasures they could find. Often, hikes would be historic in nature, most often by walking on an old railroad bed. Tim had a fascination with trains which he transferred into a love of working on model trains. Inspired and motivated heavily by Bob Ross, he also often enjoyed painting outdoor scenes. He also had a strong love for classic cars, having built his first car by merging two wrecked cars into one functioning car, his classic 1966 Mustang. His Mustang has been a project car for many years, and all of his kids have lent a helping hand to the work at one point or another, even if it was just to hold a flashlight which was inevitably always in the wrong spot. Tim’s memory was like a vault, and he often described his recall process as “going through a filing cabinet and pulling the correct file.” His vault-like memory made him an excellent trivia player, or just a great person to ask a question, since he could most likely give a correct answer. One of his favorite trivia games wasn’t even a real game; it was seeing who could name the musician on the radio first (nine times out of ten, Tim was first.) His love of music was wide ranging, from Willie Nelson to Billy Joel and most everything in between, but his favorite band was The Beatles. His love of their music was transferred into his children through the many mornings where music was playing through the house while cleaning or spending quality time together. Above all, Tim was a family man. There wasn’t a baby that met Tim that didn’t like him, and they always would smile for him even if they didn’t know who he was. He supported his children through thick and thin, always making sure they had what they needed. Some of his most treasured moments were the times he spent playing with, reading to, hugging, kissing, and napping with all of his grandchildren. Tim was always impressed with how smart, creative, kind, and loving all of his grandkids are, which just goes to show how good of a job he did as a father. Tim was a great man that touched many lives, even those he only knew for a short time. His loss is utterly tragic to us all, and he will be deeply missed and forever loved by all of his family and friends. And though we are all sad, Tim would want us to smile and laugh at all the great memories we have of him, so at least once after reading this, please share a happy memory you have of him with someone close.

Timothy Jay Thomas

August 11, 1962 - October 10, 2024