Gaylord Thom, 70, Beresford, S.D.

Published 10:17 am Monday, May 13, 2013

Gaylord Thom, 70, Beresford, S.D., died May 10, 2013, at his home.

Gaylord Thom

Gaylord was born Sept. 27, 1942, in Rushmore, Minn., to Ulysses and Myrtle Thom. He graduated from Adrian High School in 1960 and served in the U.S. Air Force beginning in 1960, serving as a dog handler for the Military Policy. After the death of his father in 1963, Gaylord returned to the family farm where he farmed side by side with his mother for several years, before returning to vocational school in Jackson, Minn., where he studied architectural design. He married Gayle K. Lewis on Feb. 11, 1977.

He worked in the engineering department at Hormel Foods, Austin, Minn., for 30 years. He retired in June 1993 and moved to rural Beresford.

He spent countless hours clearing the abandoned farm site where the new home was built. He loved to spend his time tinkering in his garage, building cabinets and gun stocks, drawing up house plans for folks and helping Gayle with the gardening and taking care of his “girls,” their dogs, most recently Shadow and Bree. He was a great cook and enjoyed coming up with new dishes for he and Gayle to enjoy when she came home from work. He enjoyed working for area farmers in the spring and fall; was an avid hunter and fisherman who loved to collect and shoot at targets and hunt pheasant, deer and any and all varmints.

Gaylord is survived by his wife of 36 years, Gayle K. (Lewis) Thom; daughter Sue (Jim) Lynch and grandsons Sean and Shane, Pt. St. Lucie, Fla.; son Paul (Janelle) Thom and grandsons Brant and Tye, Canton, S.D.; son Troy Thom and grandson Tyler of Florida; daughter Tanya Schaefer and granddaughter Tiffany Loeffler of Crystal River, Fla.; sister Ardelle Brunk, of Rushmore, Minn.; one great-grandchild; and many nieces and nephews. He was preceded in death by his father, Ulysses; mother, Myrtle; grandson, Michael Loeffler; and brother-in-law, Donald (Bud) Brunk.

A funeral service will be held Wednesday at Adrian Funeral Home in Adrian, Minn., with Kerry Boese officiating. Visitation will take place from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m., with the family present at 1 p.m. Interment will be at Adrian Cemetery.