Thomas Leon Parkerson

Thomas Leon Parkerson, also known as “Tom-ass”, passed away at his parents’ home held by people who loved him. He fought brain cancer for the past 10 years and finally decided he had better things to do, like chase his guardian angels around heaven on his motorcycle. (It’s only fair after all the chasing they had to do for him.) He grew up in Grand Junction, went to Fruita Monument High School, played cello in the orchestra, and raised a lot of hell with his best friend Bart. After high school he joined the Army, impressed his drill instructors with his sharpshooting skills, and raised hell with his Army buddies. He fought in the Iraq War and served his country to the best of his ability. After the army, he came home and worked for the family business, struggled with PTSD, and continued to raise hell with his best friend Bart.

He loved hunting, shooting, riding motorcycles, snowmobiling, and being outdoors. He didn’t have children because the world could not contain that much awesome, but his nephews adored their “Unka Tommy”. He had great stories to tell - like the time he got chased in the Louisiana woods by a tree-stand ropesnake, and how he and Bart invented the sport of tree surfing (idiot #1 climbs the tree, idiot #2 cuts it down). He didn’t suffer fools, always had a clever reply handy, could fix or drive anything with a motor, and was a generally hilarious guy to be around.

He was welcomed to heaven by his Grandpa Sparn, his Grandma Cohan, his Uncle David, and a few Army brothers among others - others that hopefully didn’t include the god of prairie dogs. His mother Sandy, his father Gary, his sister Tonya, his brother Eric, and the rest of his family are glad he is no longer in pain, even though it means we are left down here with a giant Tommy-shaped hole in our hearts.

Services will be held at the Veteran’s Cemetery on Tuesday, October 1. In lieu of flowers or gifts, the family requests that donations be made to Hope West Hospice or to the Veteran’s Art Center.