Thomas Louis Conway

Thomas Louis Conway Thomas L. Conway, 67, of Duncanville, beloved husband of Ulrike (Ricky) Conway, died at his home on Tuesday, December 15, 2015. Tom was born in Los Angeles, California and graduated with a BS from Cal State, Long Beach in 1971. He later began a 32-year career with the Army & Air Force Exchange Service which would take him to live and work in places most people only dream about. In 1979, Tom received his MS in Education from the University of Southern California (overseas program). He enjoyed life to the fullest amid the sights and environs of Munich, Germany; Seoul, South Korea; Honolulu, Hawaii and Dallas, Texas. While in Korea, he married the love of his life Ricky, whom he had met in Munich and with whom he would spend the next 40+ years. His high-school days were spent in Brooklyn, NY, where he was bitten hard by the travel bug, eventually taking off for Europe, hitch-hiking from one end to the other before taking a job in Munich and getting on with life. It was a fateful decision for there he met his future wife Ricky. He was fluent in German and felt at home there but was a lifelong inveterate traveler. Tom enjoyed many pursuits, including sightseeing, hiking and yard projects, but at heart was a photographer. Every year he eagerly submitted entries for judging at the Texas State Fair and garnered many awards including several 1st place Blue Ribbons. Something many didn't know about Tom was that he was a poet, a serious poet, who wrote more than 1,000 poems and had many published. In 1976, “Feathers” won First Place in a national poetry contest. Upon retiring in 2003, Tom devoted himself to fulfilling his and Ricky's long held dream of designing and building an Alpine chalet (Haus Mit Herz) in the Sangre de Cristo Mountains. They loved being amid its breathtaking views, rich wildlife and especially skiing on the nearby slopes. Both Tom and Ricky were passionate skiers who loved the sport and had swooshed down slopes throughout the U.S and Europe, Asia and South America. Tom was devoted to his faith and a Eucharistic Minister for Holy Spirit Catholic Church in Duncanville and Holy Angels Catholic Mission Church in Angel Fire, NM. One of his fondest memories was his and Ricky’s 30th wedding anniversary with a “Renewal of Vows” ceremony at San Francisco de Asis Church in Taos, NM. Tom is survived by his loving and devoted wife, Ulrike (Ricky) Conway. A Rosary will be held at Holy Spirit Catholic Church on Tuesday, January 5 at 7:00 p.m. and a Memorial Mass at Holy Spirit on Wednesday, January 6 at 10:30 a.m. Memorials may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital at www.stjude.org