James Albert Tobias, D.D.S.

James Albert Tobias, surrounded by his loving family, was shepherded into eternal life on Friday, March 27, 2009. Jim regarded his faith, family and friends as God's greatest blessings and his greatest sources of joy. He is survived by his wife of fifty-four years, Shirley, and his children and grandchildren: Michele and Kevin Courtois and their children, Mariele and Michael, of Parker, Colorado; Jamie Tobias of Dallas, Texas; Lori and Brian Christiansen and their children, Natalie and Audrey, of Parker, Colorado; and Greg Tobias of Las Vegas, Nevada. Jim is also survived by his siblings and their spouses, Leona Lohr, Glen and Sally Sue Tobias, Dorrie and Pat Stafford, and Connie and Robert Jankowski. He was surely welcomed into heaven by his parents, Josephine and Emmett, and his brother, Clair. Jim was born on August 31, 1931 in River Falls, Wisconsin. For three years, he attended Ellsworth High School and graduated from River Falls High School in 1949. He lettered in football, basketball, and baseball while on the Student Council and earning top academic honors. At Marquette University, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, Jim starred at tight end for three years on the varsity football team and was named captain and most valuable player his senior year in 1953. He also played guard for three years on the varsity basketball team. He received Marquette University's prestigious Robert L. McCahill award for being the outstanding senior student athlete. He married Shirley Madigan in 1954 in Green Bay, Wisconsin. Dr. Tobias received his Doctor of Dental Surgery degree from Marquette University School of Dentistry in 1955. He graduated in the top ten in his class from dental school and was grand master of Psi Omega Dental Fraternity and a member of Omicron Kappa Epsilon, the national honorary dental society. He served in the United States Naval Dental Corps from 1953 to 1958 as Lieutenant Commander on the U.S.S. Bryce Canyon, at the U.S. Naval Center, Long Beach, California, the U.S. Naval Air Station, Corpus Christi, Texas, and the U.S. Naval Training Center, Great Lakes, Illinois. After completing his residency at the Veterans Administration Hospital in Wood, Wisconsin, he moved his growing family to St. Petersburg, Florida in 1960 and to Clearwater, Florida in 1965 where he practiced Periodontics exclusively for 43 years. Dr. Tobias earned his Board Certification in Periodontics and served as president of the Florida West Coast District Dental Association, Upper Pinellas Dental Society, Florida Society of Periodontists, and Southern Academy of Periodontology. He was a faculty member of the L.D. Pankey Institute for Advanced Dental Education in Miami and co-editor of Current Procedural Terminology for Periodontology. A charter member of the Southern Academy of Clinical Nutrition, he received a special citation for meritorious service for improving the dental health care of the public. Dr. Tobias was named a fellow and diplomat and, in 1984, was elected president of the 4, 200 member American Academy of Periodontology. He was president of Clearwater's Springtime City Kiwanis Club and a coach for Clearwater for Youth basketball teams. He was an active parishioner at St. Cecelia Catholic Church, where he was a daily communicant, and a generous supporter of Catholic education. In 2003, he was diagnosed with a rare cancer. He fought back miraculously in the vibrant company of his wife, children and grandchildren in San Diego, California, Santa Fe, New Mexico, and Parker, Colorado. In the sixth year of his valiant fight, he was called home. He lived a life of faith, hope, dignity, service, and steadfast love. ""To be happy at home is the end of all labor."" Visitation will be held Wednesday, April 1, beginning at 6:00 p.m. followed by a Rosary at 7:30 p.m., both at Horan & McConaty Family Chapel, 5303 East County Line Road (just one block west of Holly Street), in Centennial, Colorado. The Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Thursday, April 2, at 11:00 a.m., at St. Thomas More Catholic Church, 8035 South Quebec Street in Centennial, Colorado with a reception immediately following at the church. Burial will be held on Friday, April 3 at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado. In lieu of flowers, the family offers for your consideration a memorial contribution to the Carmelite Monastery, 49 Mount Carmel Road, Santa Fe, New Mexico 87505-0352 or The Mayo Clinic Cancer Research Program, 200 First Street SW, Rochester, Minnesota 55905. It is a privilege to have loved Jim Tobias as a husband, father, grandfather, brother, friend, teammate, and colleague. Please share your memories of Dr. Tobias and condolences with his family by selecting the ""sign guestbook"" button below.