Thomas Lee Harkess

The family moved to Cheyenne, Wyoming when Tom was a boy. Tom graduated from East High School in Cheyenne in 1962. Tom married Candace Edgar and went to work at the Wyoming Highway Department until 1973. Tom and Candace had three sons; Sean, Patrick, and Kelly.

Thomas worked for Campbell Ewald advertising for two years as a freelance production assistant for automotive advertising, which was the genesis for his future endeavors. Tom and his family made their way to Burbank, California in 1975 where he and his brother Jim started Two’s Company, an automotive production services company uniquely designed to support the automotive advertisement industry. Two's Company was innovative in its use of camera mounts and special effects that preceded CGI. Tom's engineering background and ability to build his own and never seen before camera mounts, changed how cars were presented in TV and print ads such as putting cars on the mountain tops of Utah, the deserts of Egypt and even icebergs in Alaska. Tom became a licensed owner, operator helicopter pilot, and used this skill in his career as well. Years later a new chapter was opened where Tom became Vice President of his brother's medical waste disposal company, that successfully capitalized on groundbreaking new technology in the medical industry.

Tom loved Western themes no matter what it was as he was a true cowboy at heart and an independent mountain man who kept his life simple and who loved Willie Nelson, NASCAR and especially the Indy 500. Due to a love of auto racing and hot rods he got from his father who raced cars in the 50’s, Tom successfully entered a car in the world-famous Indy 500. He was very skilled with tools and enjoyed creating beautiful stained-glass windows and lamps which he proudly displayed in his home in Burbank.

In 2018 he moved from California to the small town of Buckeye, Arizona and spent his remaining time in his golf cart and recliner, chatting with neighbors, and enjoying the sun and spoiling his Scottie dogs.

He will be greatly missed by his three sons, four grandchildren, one great grandson, extended family and friends.