Obituary of Thomas Lee Cash

Thomas Lee Cash was born October 16, 1936 at Gem, Kansas. He passed away at the Ft. Bayard Medical Center in Santa Clara, New Mexico on July 14, 2017 at the age of 80 years after losing his battle with cancer. Thomas began school in Arriba, Colorado and continued there through high school. He joined the United States Marine Corp. in 1954 and spent three years in Korea, Japan and Camp Pendleton, California. During those years he was in the tank battalion. On February 14, 1957, he married Lorrain May Jaques. They became the parents of two children; one son, Thomas Wade Cash of Silver City, New Mexico and one daughter, Tamilyn Doreen Fager of Lake Havasu City, Arizona. Thomas became a member and was baptized in the Arriba Church of Christ on January 25, 1961. He later became a member of the First Congregational Church in Arriba. In his final days, he attended the Calvary Baptist Church in Silver City, New Mexico. Having a knack for all trades, Thomas worked for many different places. After getting out of the Marines, he and his wife settled in Arriba, Colorado. Thomas went to work for the Lincoln County Road and Bridge Division. From there he transferred to the Town of Arriba, where he was the head of all maintenance and water works. During those years, he and another man worked together helping to install a city sewer system. Thomas also acted as mayor for the Town of Arriba for some time. In 1979, he took up farming while also being a substitute mail carrier, school bus driver, and fire chief. Hard times forced him to sell the farm, and he went to work for the Colorado Department of Transportation (CDOT) in Joes, Colorado. He spent eleven years with them, part time as an employee, the final years as a supervisor. Thomas retired in March of 1999, and he and his wife spent summers camp hosting in several mountain parks. His hobbies were playing golf and horseshoes. He won so many horseshoe trophies that they eventually lined shelves in his garage. He also built furniture, repaired homes, etcetera. He was good at all tasks, whether it be plumbing, electrical works, or mechanical works. Thomas was preceded in death by his parents, Oscar Newton Cash and Florellis I. Cash and one sister, Pauline Brawley. Survivors include his wife, Lorrain and his children, Thomas Wade Cash and wife Tasha and Tamilyn Doreen Fager and husband Lonnie and five granddaughters; Amanda (Chad) Maness of Valley Center, KS, Amber (Tyson) Schmitt of Kansas City, MO, Andrea (Daniel) Sloan of Wilson, OK, Allison (Josh) Kendrick of Inman, KS, and Jaclyn Fager of Craig, CO. Also by twelve great-grandchildren. Two nieces Brenda Sorokaty and Marcine Barkley.