COLBERT, THOMAS
09/12/1950 03/01/2021
Thomas Alfred Colbert was born in Phoenix, AZ on September 12, 1950 and grew up there. He died on March 1, 2021 at CU Anschutz surrounded by his wife and daughters. He was preceded in death by his parents, Francis Colbert and Elizabeth Hake Colbert, his uncle, Alfred Colbert, and his four much-cherished grandparents. He is survived by his wife, Margaret Colbert; his daughters, Karen Colbert (Andy Seifried), Helen de Mooy (Brett) and Janet Colbert; his sisters Kathryn Colbert and Martha Colbert (Marc Jacobson); his sister-in-law Kathryn Kosec (Marty) and brother-in-law Andrew Koperski (Laura); his grandchildren Henry, Thomas and Charlie de Mooy, and Elizabeth Seifried; and several cousins as well as many nieces, nephews, and great nieces and great nephews. Tom was, first and foremost, a family man—unwaveringly devoted to his wife, his daughters, and especially his grandchildren. He was also very close to his beloved mother Libby, who was widowed at age 47, and his two sisters.
Tom attended Brophy College Prep, a Jesuit high school, where he established longlasting friendships with many of his 100-odd classmates. He attended Prescott College for two years, then transferred to Colorado State University where he graduated with a degree in Agronomy. He obtained his Master of Agriculture degree in Soils at Texas A&M. During high school, Tom spent summers working at his grandparents’ farm in Iowa. During college summers, Tom worked for the U.S. Forest Service. Tom met his wife Maggie when he started at the Colorado Division of Mined Land Reclamation in the fall of 1977. They became a couple shortly after and were married in 1979. Tom worked on myriad mine and other reclamation projects during his long career in environmental management. He left that career in the early 2000s to work for a longtime friend at Boulder Amplifiers. He retired in 2017. Tom volunteered at Channel 12, a Denver public television station, as “talent” during the pledge drives from 1983 until COVID hit in 2020. He was also a devoted Toastmaster, with the Bob Ord Toastmaster club for over 25 years.
Tom will be long-remembered for his keen intellect, his deep and genuine curiosity about everything, his quick wit, his passion for photography, and his love of family. A celebration of life service is planned for September 11, 2021 at the Denver Botanic Gardens. Donations in his honor can be made to Craig Foundation, 3425 S. Clarkson St., Englewood CO 80113; craig hospital.org/ foundation