This is in loving memory of Thomas Leroy Steinkoenig, Our Dad, brother, Grandpa, mate, and
teacher. Dad was a passionate man who always had a plan for his life and for those he loved.
He lived life his way. He did what he loved. His music was his joy and he started playing
trombone with his dad Joe when he was very young. He bought his own trombone through a
catalogue when he was thirteen and went on the road with his dad's band when he was
fourteen. At 17 he was the youngest trombone player in the Lawrence Welk Orchestra before it
was on television. As a high school student, he also played for Compton College bands in Los
Angeles. After he graduated high school in California, he went back to Denver to be closer to
his midwest roots and was playing in night clubs when he met my mom.
Although Dad is so recently remembered for his music, he was also a family man. When he
and mom started having children, he put his personal music aside, went back to college and
graduated from UCLA with a degree in Music Education so he could be a good father. He
wanted to have a schedule which would allow him to be home when his kids were off school.
He wanted to be home for dinner with his wife, two boys and two girls. It was important and we
could not be late. My childhood memories of Dad include him repainting our house in
Minneapolis, bringing home the windmill and play house from the Jolly Troll restaurant to set up
in our backyard, tediously making an ice skating rink in our backyard in the Minneapolis winters
for all the neighbor kids to come and enjoy, whistling for his kids every night to come home for
dinner, rescuing Lucky, then Squeaky, then Mrs. Quack our pet ducks, bringing home the
rabbits (which had many more!) Bringing home our new Bassett hound puppy Tom Sawyer,
buying my horse (trusting me enough to buy the hay). He bought a pickup camper and we took
family trips all over the country to the east coast and the west coast when he was not teaching,
painting houses or giving music lessons in our basement. When driving along in our camper,
dad loved silly stories that became a fabric of our lives. He took his sons hunting in Nebraska
and many more stories came from those trips only parts of which the rest of us ever heard!
Dad was a carpenter's son. He loved building stuff out of wood. He never met a piece of wood
he didn't love. He always had a shop and eventually, built all the furniture in his house. He and
his oldest son built a manger scene which we cherish every Christmas. He and his youngest
son built a go-cart. He built rocking horses, wooden toys and gifts for everyone he thought
would appreciate one of his creations. His houses, lawn, and cars were always perfect.
Aesthetics were a big part of Dad's life. He always looked nice. He got up to face the day, every
day, with a clean shirt, a clean car, and the energy to create something new…right up until the
day he died.
Dad was so resourceful. He had a plan. After he graduated from UCLA, he and mom bought a
newly constructed house in Saugus, California. He had to build a fence to protect us from the
rattlesnakes. Eventually, he got a new teaching job in Minneapolis so now with 3 young
children, soon to be 4, he moved us across the country in a Lays potato chip truck he bought
for a deal. Of course, when he got to Minnesota, he traded the truck for new furniture which is
still in our family to this day. He was making it work. In his own way. He was such a smart
businessman, he eventually bought 5 houses in Minneapolis. He bought one for each of his
children and one for our family to live in. He ran rental properties at night when he wasn't
teaching school to make it work.
In the early 1970s, he and mom moved our family back to Littleton, Colorado to be closer to
family roots. Dad sold all the properties and had to start over in a much tougher economy. He
and mom created a beautiful home with a terraced yard, roses, and an amazing vegetable
garden in which we all had to help. Dad taught choir and band to hundreds of kids at Euclid Jr.
High. His own kids went to school in the same district and were able to perform under his
tutelage. He was a tough teacher that demanded perfection from his musical groups. He was a
wonderful teacher. He prided himself on bringing people to their own music and helping others
find joy. In his band Sentimental Swing, he set the tempo for the dancers. It was all about their
pace. Eventually, his business background drew him away from public school teaching when
he started his own distribution business. Soon after, my parent's marriage of 26 years ended
and their lives took on new directions. Dad went back into his music and began the next phase
of his life.
Dad was the Director of the Denver Concert Band. He had a chance to perform Rhapsody in
Blue with his oldest daughter in a lifetime memory for us all. He brought so much music into
our family. His oldest daughter played piano since age 5. The rest of us played flute, clarinet,
baritone, trombone, guitars, bass, and sang in choirs. There was always music. That is where
his second marriage took off and thrived. The music, the adventure, the stories of the road.
Let it be said that Dad always loved us fiercely, and only wanted each of us to be ok. He was
there every step of the way when his oldest grandson was in the hospital in Denver. He loved
each grandson for their individuality. He went fishing, sailing and played music with each of
them. He laughed with them all and made a point to get to know each of them in his late
years.
Dad was a gentle hearted, tough, creative, smart, adventurous and resourceful man. He loved
to laugh, cry, appreciated beauty and a good story. He loved life. He was bigger than life and
will so be missed. We love you Dad.
Dad is leaving behind his wife Ruth Steinkoenig, Nancy(daughter) and Kenn, Theo
(posthumous grandson) and Alex(grandson)Ziebart, Paul(son) and Lina Steinkoenig, Beth
(daughter) and Nick (grandson)Steinkoenig, TJ Steinkoenig (son), former wife Shirley Riggs,
John(brother)and Barbara Steinkoenig, Tom's extended family, Ruth's extended family and their
shared grandchildren. See Dad's obituary at
powersfh.net.Published by Colorado Community Media on Oct. 21, 2021.