Christopher Edward Tomko

Christopher Edward Tomko died on September 18, 2021 in Arvada, Colorado. He was born on May 22, 1957 at Mercy Hospital in Durango, Colorado.
Chris is survived by his wife of 40 years, Diana Tomko (née Goral), his daughter, Sarah Tomko of Denver, his mother, Marjorie Tomko of Denver, his brothers, Thomas Tomko, Jr. (Denver) and Greg Tomko (Iowa), his parents-in-law, Brian and Verna Goral of Golden, Colorado, and many uncles, cousins, nieces, nephews, and other in-laws who will all miss him dearly.
Chris had many passionate interests throughout his life. His love of music and playing tuba took him to the University of Northern Colorado, where he met his wife-to-be, Diana. Thinking he might want to be an orchestral tuba player, he moved to Chicago and studied with the world-renowned Chicago Symphony tubaist Arnold Jacobs. Chris proceeded to another artistic endeavor and a great love of large-format, black-and-white photography. He processed his own photographs using the techniques of artists like Ansel Adams and Edward Weston.
Moving back to Denver in the early 80s, Chris worked with his father's court reporting firm for many years. He gained expertise in telemetry and worked for AT&T for a short time. He became a driver for his cousin Mark Tomko's landscaping service, which eventually led to a commercial driver's license and driving 18-wheelers over-the-road for Swift Transportation. After six years of often harrowing experiences in blizzards along I-80 or Donner Pass, Chris worked in Swift's Denver office supporting other drivers.
Chris deeply loved his family and loved to entertain and teach his daughter, Sarah, and her cousins, Geoffrey, Matthew, Madeline, Eric, Krista, Ted, David, Priscilla, and Christian. He spent many happy hours cultivating roses, dabbling in woodworking, studying Latin and French, developing his calligraphy style (pens and ink are of vital importance!), and reading stacks of library books on every subject. In his younger years, he was an avid swimmer, cyclist (earning the nickname "Crash Tomko"), and he and Diana enjoyed numerous cross-country ski outings. He took up yoga in his later years, partly to help mitigate the damage from the "Crash Tomko" years. He loved all of his dogs throughout his life.
Chris as son, husband, father, brother, cousin, and uncle was an integral part of our families and will be deeply missed. His many friends and neighbors will also miss him.
A memorial service will be held Saturday, September 25th, at 3:00 p.m.
Arvada Covenant Church
5555 Ward Rd, Arvada, CO 80002
Please bring a mask to wear during the indoor service. We are following Jefferson County Health policies. The reception will be an indoor/outdoor setting at the church.
If you have photos of Chris that you would be willing to share, please email them to alan.goral@gmail.com.
If you would like to send a card:
Diana Tomko
6412 Iris Court
Arvada, CO 80004