Thomas E. Tumlinson

Tom was born November 6, 1938 in Binghamton, New York while the family was visiting relatives in upstate New York. He grew up in Arkansas and in the Phoenix area, where he attended West Phoenix High School graduating in 1956, playing baseball and basketball and earning second team All-State honors as a second baseman. Then on to Phoenix College, where he played both baseball and basketball, and Grand Canyon College where he focused on baseball and his education degree. He had interest from several pro baseball organizations, but already having started a family, chose a more stable career following his passion in education.

After teaching for a couple of years in California and in eastern Arizona, Tom moved to Bullhead City in 1968, and lived here ever since. He had a profound impact on so many students and local athletes as a teacher and a coach. Former students were continuously running into “Mr T” and would tell him that they were now leading successful lives, doing what they were doing, because of his influence, something that he was always very glad to know.

Tom taught at the then brand new Bullhead City Jr High School as the PE coach, history and literature teacher, and athletic director, bringing our little junior high school a basketball championship and a runner-up finish, in consecutive years earning 1973 Arizona Jr High School Coach of the Year honors as well as 1972-73 Outstanding Young Educator. Tom also started a tackle football program playing other Jr high schools along the Colorado River from Boulder, NV down to Parker.

Tom was also heavily involved in Little League as a coach and umpire, although his career as a little league coach was cut short by the LL Board as they felt it wasn’t fair for the other coaches to have to compete against a “professional” coach. So he turned his attention to umpiring eventually serving as Umpire-in-Chief for Arizona LL District 9 and earning tournament slots in the little League Western Regional tournament and garnering an invitation to the Little League World Series in Williamsport, Pa., serving as the Master of Arms for the Little League International Congress.

Always interested in sports or games of any kind whether it was Monopoly or Yahtzee, or baseball and basketball in the backyard, local leagues and tournaments in basketball, volleyball, racquetball, softball and developing a passion for participating in 10k runs anywhere he could. Tom was an active member of the local senior softball club playing friendly games year round and in semi-annual tournaments well into his 80s

In the 70s, he was an active participant in the Colorado River Little Theater Group, which put on many performances for the audiences of this small town. Encouraging “boos and hisses” from the audience for his portrayal of the villain in such plays as “The Drunkard” or “Arsenic and Old Lace”, and cheers as a hero in “It’s Never Too Late” or “Gentle Hearts and Murder”.

In the 80s, he was a key member of the P.O.E.T.S. Society (a social network who’s acronym shall not be spelled out), populated by a large group of local elementary, middle, and Jr High school teachers.

Tom lived out his retirement quietly in town. He knew so many thousands of people in town that there was no such thing as a “quick trip” to WalMart or Safeway because invariably he would run into somebody he knew. Always friendly and willing to engage in conversation, once you heard someone call “hey, coach” or “Mr T!”, you knew that quick little run to the store just turned in to hour long social call.

Tom passed away at his home in Bullhead City on June 12, 2025 at the age of 86 due to complications from Parkinson’s disease and dementia. Tom is survived by his wife Patricia Tumlinson of Bullhead City, his sister Thelma Valkingburg of Benson, Az., his children Dottie DeTroye of Ft Worth, Tx., Duane Tumlinson of San Clemente, Ca., Denise Tumlinson of Imperial Beach, Ca., and Douglas Tumlinson of San Diego, Ca., as well as his numerous grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Tom is preceded in death by his late spouse Tedi Douglas Tumlinson, his parents Carl A. and Dorothy Dunham Tumlinson, older siblings Carl Duane Tumlinson and Norma Elliott, and younger brother Lonnie Tumlinson.

Prior to his passing , Tom was very clear about not holding a memorial service, however, the family would love to welcome any well wishers to share a memory or story about Tom on the memorial website.