Thomas LeRoy Toliver

Thomas (Tom) LeRoy Toliver died Oct. 19, 2018, following a brief illness. The memorial service will be Sat. Nov. 24, at 1:00 PM, First Presbyterian Church, 531 S. College Ave., Fort Collins. Rev. Corey Nelson will officiate.

Tom was born in Fort Collins Jan. 6, 1932, the youngest child of Roy and Morna Toliver, who owned Toliver’s Hardware, where Tom worked as a youth, and from 1972 until its closing in 1986.

Tom attended Fort Collins High School, where he played football and was the All State Quarterback of 1950. He then attended Colorado State University, where he met Irene L. Barnhill, whom he married in 1954.

Following graduation, Tom and Irene moved to Murtaugh, Idaho, where Tom taught science and coached football, track, and wrestling.

In the fall of 1960, Tom and Irene moved to Parma, Idaho, where Tom again taught and coached. He returned to CSU during the summers, where he obtained his Master of Education in 1965. In 1965, he became the principle of Parma High School, a position he held until he returned to Fort Collins and the family hardware store in 1972.

Tom first became involved in Lions Clubs International in 1962 in Parma and had been a member of the Fort Collins Lions’ Club since his return to the city in 1972. He held several offices in the organization, including Fort Collins Club President 1978-1979, Northern Colorado District Governor 1989-1990, State of Colorado Council Chairman 1990-1991, International Director 1994-1996, and the International Convention Chairman for the convention that was held in Denver in 2003.

He and Irene hosted several Lions International Youth Exchange students, from Japan, Australia, and France. He also received numerous awards in recognition of his service, including four Presidential Awards, the Melvin Jones Fellow Award, and the Ambassador of Good Will Award, the highest honor Lions Clubs International bestows on its members.

Tom served as an usher, greeter, and trustee at the churches of which he was a member, at the Kirkpatrick Memorial Community United Presbyterian Church in Parma, Idaho, and the First Presbyterian Church of Fort Collins. After the closure of Toliver’s Hardware, he worked at Allnutt Funeral Services, 1986-2006.

Tom is survived by his wife Irene, children Roy Toliver of Kent, WA, Cheryl Toliver of Fort Collins, Jennifer Hunt of Monument, CO, and Laura Anzman of Citrus Springs, FL; 7 grandchildren; 3 great-grandchildren; and his sister Ruth Toliver of Fort Collins.

Contributions can be made to the Fort Collins Lions Foundation, 1740 S. College Ave., 80525; Pathways Hospice, 305 Carpenter Rd., 80525; and Lions Clubs International Foundation, 300 W. 22nd St., Oak Brook, IL 60523.