Individual Details
Thomas Oliver Sanford
(20 Jun 1927 - 12 Jan 2013)
Posted at findagrave.com: Obituary from Anderson Stevens Wilke Funeral Home: Thomas Oliver Sanford was called home to heaven to be with his Lord and Savior early Saturday morning January 12, 2013. Tom was born on June 20, 1927 in Kabo, Montana to John and Catherine Sanford. Tom spent his childhood in Montana and attended high school at Big Sandy. He joined the Navy in August of 1945 to serve his country. On October 10, 1947 he married Mary Fitzsimmons and the couple lived and managed ranch properties until he joined the Montana Highway Patrol in 1954. They lived in Polson, Montana where they raised their children, Tom E., Yvonne, Randy and Brian and in 1986 after 32 years of service to the Montana Highway Patrol, Tom retired in Kalispell and in 1992 they moved to Helena.
Tom was a wonderful husband and father to his family, he was loved by his wife and children and respected by his friends and the community and had a great sense of humor that everyone enjoyed. He loved baseball and as his sons grew up he coached them in Little League, Babe Ruth and Legion for 12 years in Polson and Kalispell.
Tom is preceded in death by his parents, John and Catherine Sanford, his brother, Jim Sanford and sister, Judy Johnson.
He is survived by his wife, Mary of Helena; his children, Thomas E. Sanford, Yvonne (Charles) Brooke of Helena, Randy (Stephanie) Sanford of Wenatchee, WA and Brian (Tammy) Sanford of Phoenix, Az.; sister, Vera (Art) Matson of Polson, Mt; ten grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.
A private burial with family present will be at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Harrison. A memorial service celebrating Tom's life will be 2:00 p.m. Friday, January 18, 2013 at Liberty Baptist Church, 210 Sierra Road West in Helena.
In lieu of flowers, Memorials in Tom's name are suggested to the Liberty Baptist Church Worldwide Missions P.O. Box 911 Helena, Montana 59624. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer the family condolences or share a memory of Tom.
Tom was a wonderful husband and father to his family, he was loved by his wife and children and respected by his friends and the community and had a great sense of humor that everyone enjoyed. He loved baseball and as his sons grew up he coached them in Little League, Babe Ruth and Legion for 12 years in Polson and Kalispell.
Tom is preceded in death by his parents, John and Catherine Sanford, his brother, Jim Sanford and sister, Judy Johnson.
He is survived by his wife, Mary of Helena; his children, Thomas E. Sanford, Yvonne (Charles) Brooke of Helena, Randy (Stephanie) Sanford of Wenatchee, WA and Brian (Tammy) Sanford of Phoenix, Az.; sister, Vera (Art) Matson of Polson, Mt; ten grandchildren and sixteen great-grandchildren.
A private burial with family present will be at the Montana State Veterans Cemetery at Fort Harrison. A memorial service celebrating Tom's life will be 2:00 p.m. Friday, January 18, 2013 at Liberty Baptist Church, 210 Sierra Road West in Helena.
In lieu of flowers, Memorials in Tom's name are suggested to the Liberty Baptist Church Worldwide Missions P.O. Box 911 Helena, Montana 59624. Please visit www.aswfuneralhome.com to offer the family condolences or share a memory of Tom.
Events
| Birth | 20 Jun 1927 | Chouteau Co., Montana |  | ||
| Residence | 1930 | Age: 2; Age: 2 9/12; Marital Status: Single; Relation to Head of House: Son - Cleveland, Blaine Co., Montana | | ||
| Death | 12 Jan 2013 | Montana | | ||
| Race | White | | |||
| Burial | Montana State Veterans Cemetery, Helena, Lewis and Clark Co., Montana | |
Families
| Father | John Francis Sanford (1902 - 1982) |
| Mother | Katherine Lois Clason (1909 - 1979) |
| Sibling | Eugene "Jim" Stanley Sanford (1929 - 2009) |
| Sibling | Judith "Judy" Faye Sanford (1932 - 2009) |
| Sibling | Vera Sanford (1938 - 2013) |
Endnotes
1. Ancestry.com, U. S. Find A Grave Index, 1600s-Current (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations, Inc., 2012).
2. Ancestry.com, 1930 Census Dickinson Co.,Kansas (Provo, UT, USA: Ancestry.com Operations Inc, 2002), Year: 1930; Census Place: Cleveland, Blaine, Montana; Roll: 1252; Page: 1B; Enumeration District: 0019; Image: 459.0; FHL microfilm: 2340987.