Thomas Scott Hooyer

Dr. Thomas S. Hooyer, 53, passed away on May 4, 2016, following a battle with ALS. Tom leaves his wife, Anne Medeiros, and their two children, Nieve and Nolan. He is also survived by his mother, Ihla Hooyer, and siblings Tamara Wickland & Mark Hooyer.

Born in Jackson, Michigan, Tom grew up in Boulder, Colorado, graduating from Boulder High School in 1981. Tom received a B.S. in Geology from Calvin College, a M.S. from Northern Illinois University, and his Ph.D. in Geology and Geophysics from Iowa State University. He spent his career as a Professor of Geology within the University of Wisconsin system, serving in the Wisconsin Geological Survey in Madison, conducting glacial geology research worldwide, and most recently as a Teaching Professor of Geology at UW-Milwaukee.

Tom was raised in the mountains, and was a life-long enthusiast of the outdoors, including hiking, climbing, backcountry and cross-country skiing, and endurance racing. He was an accomplished cyclist, racing at the Master’s level for a series of Wisconsin teams. He had a love for travel, and traveled extensively throughout Colorado and across the world. His journeys included a year-long hitchhiking adventure through Africa, climbing and cycling trips to Canada and Europe, and travel associated with his glacial research in places as diverse as Antarctica, Chile, Norway, and Baffin Island. He enjoyed leading his students on research trips to Iceland.

Tom was a loving husband and adoring father. His greatest quality was his love and support for those who were fortunate enough to know him, as he valued people and relationships above all else. This aspect of his character will be his enduring legacy.

Donations may be made to the Dr. Thomas S. Hooyer Award Fund (#3656) at UW-Milwaukee (https://uwm.edu/geosciences/give) or the ALS Therapy Development Institute: https://www.alstdi.org/donate/.

A memorial service celebrating Tom's life will be on Saturday, August 6, at 2:00 p.m. at Crestview Christian Church, 3665 Madison Ave. Boulder, Colorado. It will be followed by refreshments at the church and a picnic dinner at a nearby park. On August 7th we'll be going for a hike in the Indian Peaks Wilderness to one of Tom's favorite spots. The hike is 6 miles round trip and starts at 9,200' and ends at 10,600.

We have a room block set aside with the Westin Westminster for August 5-8th for $129/night for a double. This is about a 20 minute drive from Boulder but offers stunning views of the mountains and is affordable! See our room block page here: https://www.starwoodmeeting.com/events/start.action?id=1605242432&key=1F88CBE3.

If you are interested in a memorable weekend in the center of Boulder (as Tom would say, "oh, you'll pay!"), we have a promo code for the Hotel Boulderado: http://www.boulderado.com/. Just enter SP2016 when you book a room in the promo code field and you'll get 10% off your stay. Note that Ironman Boulder is August 7th so it will be a busy weekend in Boulder, but I imagine some of you will consider registering (yes, it's still open).