Thomas Francis Rome

Thomas Francis Rome

October 26, 1946 – January 16, 2025

Tom was born at St. Joseph’s Hospital in Denver to Adolph Rome and Mabel Eppinger Rome, and grew up in Glendale. When he was 11 years old, his family moved to the family farm in rural Garden City, Kansas. After high school graduation, Tom attended Junior College for his first two years and then transferred to the University of Kansas, where he majored in physical anthropology. After graduating with a B.A., he moved back to Denver and worked at various jobs, including taxi driver. He then moved to Boulder to work and pursue a master’s degree in literature. After taking a writing class, he dropped out of graduate school to write instead of staying in academia. Tom’s earliest memory was watching a train go by, and he was passionate about trains for the remainder of his life. To support his writing projects, he was able to get a job as a telegrapher for the Denver Rio Grande Western railroad, where he worked for 23 years before taking a retirement package after the railroad was acquired by Union Pacific in 1996. Tom mostly worked in mountain depots, and spent his free time trout fishing, reading and writing, including short stories and a book on the history of Colorado passenger trains.

Tom and Anita Ashland were married on October 2, 1999, at Bent’s Old Fort in La Junta, Colorado. After leaving the railroad, Tom worked for a tech company until it was sold, and then went back to graduate school, earning a master’s degree in history from Regis University. He wrote a historical fiction novel for his master’s thesis. He became a professor of history at the Community College of Denver, where, in addition to teaching American history, he designed a class on the early fur trade and mining history of Colorado. Tom was also an expert on Civil War and World War II history, and he wrote a 365-day civil war calendar. He authored the humorous Blue Moon Digest, which he sent to his friends on a monthly basis.

Tom loved fly fishing and tied his own flies. One of the flies he invented was featured in a book on fly-tying. He also loved birdwatching, playing golf, and over his lifetime built an extensive N-scale model railroad layout. He regularly watched sports on television, especially college football and basketball, and he was an avid fan of the CU Buffs football and girls’ basketball. He and Anita enjoyed dressing in historical costumes for Leadville Boom Days, Mountain Man Rendezvous, and Victorian balls, as well as riding with other friends in costume in the parlor car of the Cumbres and Toltec narrow-gauge train from Antonito, Colorado to Chama, New Mexico. Tom was a true “Mountain Man” and could start a fire with flint and steel. He liked black powder hunting and was proud of having won a black powder shooting contest at the Fort Restaurant’s Rendezvous and Indian Powwow event, as well as winning their Colorado Fur Trade trivia contest.

He will be most remembered for his wry sense of humor, and his deep love for his dogs and being an uncle, being “Popz” to Emily and David, and being a grandfather to Charli, Adam, Angus and Violet Rose.

Tom is survived by his wife of 25 years, Anita Ashland; his stepson David Wylde (Sara) and grandchildren Charlize (“Charli”) and Violet Rose; his stepdaughter, Emily Wylde (Alex Turner) and grandchildren Adam and Angus; his sister, Mary Bourne (David), niece Katrina Bourne Fox (Peter) and great-nephew Jensen; nephews Aaron Bourne and Geoffrey Bourne (Erica) and great-niece, Alexandra (“Alex”), and great-nephew, Nicholas (“Nate”).

Tom’s Celebration of Life will be held at 11:30 A.M. on Saturday, January 25th at Horan & McConaty in Arvada, located at 7577 W. 80th Ave. (Wadsworth & 80th) in Arvada. The Celebration program will begin at noon. Lunch will be provided after the program. Please direct any memorial contributions to your favorite charity, or to one of Tom’s favorite places, the Colorado Railroad Museum near Golden in Fairmount, Colorado.

A streaming and recording link will be added to this website prior to Saturday.