Thomas Edwin Durnan

Tom was born on August 27, 1951 in Sunnyside, Washington to Steven & Mildred Durnan. He graduated from Davis High School in 1969, attended Yakima Valley Community College, and graduated from Central Washington University with a BA in Art Education in 1974. He was a varsity athlete throughout his education, competing in cross-country, basketball, and track & field.

He married Iona J. Walker on July 22,1972 in Yakima, WA, and is survived by wife Iona, son Nathan & daughter-in-law Julie, grandchildren Rachel & Aiden, and his sister Peggy Gilmore & her family, and numerous nieces, nephews, and cousins. He was preceded in death by his parents, and sisters Kay Job & Ruth Jagusch.

Tom worked various jobs including camper assembly at Western RV, part of a cleanup team at the Hanford Site, and a bicycle mechanic at Yakima Cycle. He spent most of his career as a sheet metal worker at M&M Fabricators in Yakima, Washington where he retired in 2014. He used his engineering skills and artistic talent on various projects including training rigs for robotic surgery, a number of artistic installations, and decorative panels that are still in place at Yakima Memorial Hospital.

Tom had many hobbies throughout his life, including pottery, drawing & painting, raising tropical fish, gardening, flying model airplanes, hunting, and his favorite - fishing. He spent many weekends (and weekdays after retirement) taking friends out to his favorite fishing spots and sharing his knowledge and joy of fishing with them. He coordinated many yearly ocean fishing trips for his friends and church groups.

He was a member of the Church of the Nazarene, attended nearly every Nazarene church in Yakima at some point, finally settling at West Valley Church. He participated in church basketball leagues, volunteered as a teacher in children's ministries, and participated in mission opportunities including several overseas work-and-witness trips to Kenya and Madagascar. He was a regular volunteer for all kinds of work projects around the church, and could often be found as a greeter on Sunday mornings welcoming guests. He would regularly share the bounty of his garden and fishing trips with pastors and others around the church.

A memorial service will be held at West Valley Church of the Nazarene in Yakima, Washington on November 22, 2025 at 1:00pm.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Nazarene Missions International.