Thomas Ray Anyan

Thomas Ray Anyan, 80, of Spokane passed on August 20th, 2023.
Tom was born on February 23rd, 1943 to Raymond and Alice. He attended Rogers High School were he was Captain of the football team and President of the Lettermans Club for a year. After graduating high school in 1961 he joined the Air Force and served for 4 years as a Crash Rescue Firefighter at Geiger Field in Spokane, WA and Sonderstrom Air Force Base in Greenland. Upon his return to Spokane in 1965 he enrolled at Eastern Washington University, graduating in 1970 with a Bachelors in Education, majoring in Biology and minoring in Social Science and Mathematics.
Tom began teaching at the East Valley School District in 1970, first at East Valley Middle School and then at East Valley High School. He taught classes in Biology, Advanced Biology, Botany, Zoology, Chemistry, Physical Sciences, and Algebra. Tom also coached Football, Wrestling, Baseball, Track and Field, and served as the Announcer for the Varsity Football and Varsity Basketball home games. During his tenure he was the recipient of 'Teacher of the Year' in 1982 and 1987 as well as the WA School Athletic Administrators Association (WSSAAA) Honors Award in 1991. He retired from East Valley High School in 2002 after 32 years as an educator and coach.
Tom's belief in God began at an early age. Growing up he attended church every Sunday with his mother and brothers. In the late 1970's Tom was called back to God after falling away from the path for a number of years. The call was so strong he considered leaving teaching and joining the ministry. He took some time to go and learn at a Seminary in California. While he ultimately decided to remain an educator he took what he learned and went door to door sharing the gospel with people as an evangelist, first as a member of Rock of Ages Christian Fellowship and then as a member of Grace Harvest Fellowship.
Tom loved his family and spending time with them, whether that was taking his kids to feed the ducks at Manito Park when they were little, spending summers at the family cabin on Deer Lake, traveling to Seattle to visit his grandchildren, or just mowing his mother's yard. Tom loved sports. He enjoyed watching football, especially the WSU Cougars and the Seattle Seahawks, as well as Mariner's baseball. He enjoyed golfing and played all the area courses many times over during his retirement.
Tom is survived by his Fiancee, Debra; Children, Tyson (Fran), Alyse, and Joel; Brothers, Daryl (Arvilla) and Bill (Joanne); and Grandchildren Austin and Adriana.
Tom will be laid to rest at Fairmount Memorial Park. The family is having a graveside service at 12:30pm on September 8th.