Tom Tully passed away at Baylor Hospital in Dallas, Tx. on Friday, November 13 at the age of 87. Because of COVID 19, we cannot have a celebration of his life anytime soon but believe me, there is much to celebrate about this man! We will miss him immensely and hope that we have enough wonderful memories to help us rise above our grief at some point.
Tom was a Jersey Boy who came to Texas in 1958, courtesy of the U.S. Army.
He was stationed at Ft. Sam Houston in San Antonio where he met and courted Bettie Burkholder, his bride to be.
Meanwhile, Tom earned a Master’s degree in 1959 at Our Lady of the Lake College, completed a post-graduate program in Theology at the University of San Francisco, and in 1974 completed his doctoral degree in counseling psychology at East Texas State University. He then began a private practice as a psychologist in Dallas that continued until he retired in 2015. Along the way, he was a Democrat forever and ever, a Civil Rights activist, and a helper to all of those in need.
Tom was a devoted husband to Bettie, a wonderful father to Kristin and Matthew, a great Papaw and playmate to Farren, Ryder and Lyla, and a fine friend to all of his friends. He was a gentle, sensitive man with a great sense of humor, and was never reticent to show his love. He was a master at telling stories, and entertained us all with tales of our adventures in Estes Park…it’s beauty, it’s quirkiness, but most of all, the many delightful friends we made.
If Tom had time to tell our Estes Park stories, it would fill one of those History books he loved to read. He would talk about our earliest days when we stayed at the YMCA center with our kids…singing around a campfire, riding horses, doing arts and crafts, making new friends…Gail at the Y, Jules, Mike, Paul, and Mary Ann at Dunraven Inn, Paula at her book store, and Vivian, the realtor friend, who found our perfect log cabin on Fish Creek for us.
Once we moved into our cabin, we discovered that Estes Park was much more than a vacation home. It was our new FAVORITE home and would be forever.
We had new neighbor friends over the years…Nina, Pauline, Amy and Ben, Alicia and Brent…all kind and delightful people we enjoy and cherish. We also had our adopted Estes Park neighbor/friends, Ruth and Colin Shaw, who were with us in Estes Park every summer since we began our stay. They helped us coin the phrase “porching” which became one of Tom’s favorite pastimes in Estes Park- spending hours on the porch with friends talking, relaxing and enjoying the beauty of Estes Park.
As time went on, Tom revived his golf game and asked his friend, Dale, to convince Bettie to try it. And guess what, she loved it. Tom and Bettie played and thoroughly enjoyed many rounds of golf together, and Tom was very grateful to Dale.
He was also very grateful to Jean Weaver, who became one of his best friends, as they drove to and from the airport together. They are probably now entertaining each other somewhere in the universe with their mutual story telling skills.
Tom spent most summers flying back and forth from Dallas, but he still found time to assist with flood relief work, be active in the Carriage Hills POA, volunteer at the Estes Park Thrift Store, and stand with the Patriots for Peace every Wednesday in Bond Park.
We love you and miss you, Tom! Peace…
Bettie
