Thomas Ivanoff

Thomas "Tom" Glenn Ivanoff peacefully passed away on December 25th, 2025, at the age of 95. Tom was born on May 31st, 1930, in Los Angeles, California to Mildred Thompson and Walter Ivanoff. He grew up working on his family farm in Ada, Oklahoma. In 1945, Tom enlisted in the United States Navy and proudly served his country. After his honorable Navy service, Tom worked for the Coke Cola Company in Los Angeles while studying Mechanical Drafting.

In 1952, Tom married Shirley Montpetit. The couple moved to Peotone, Illinois, where Tom worked as a transmission mechanic before becoming Peotone's Chief of Police, as well as owning his own gun shop. Tom and Shirley had three children, Sandra "Sandy", Thomas Jr., "Bud", Clayton, and Christopher. Shirley passed away in 1965, and in 1968, Tom married Helen (Gotz) Pleckham. The family immediately doubled in size, as Tom happily became the stepfather to Helen's three children, Dennis, Diane, and Neal, and raised them as his own. The family quickly grew larger with the births of Tom and Helen's two sons, Kelly and Barry. Tom and Helen expanded the family farm and with it grew Tom's penchant for strange and exotic animals, including two peacocks that guarded farm and terrorized the kids, which Tom found quite amusing.

In 1976, Tom and Helen embarked on a new adventure, leaving Peotone and moving the family to Cody, Wyoming where they owned and operated Blackwater Lodge. Tom was an accomplished gunsmith and after selling the lodge in 1981, Tom and Helen became ranchers, raising cattle, horses, quail, and an occasionally obnoxious llama. Tom also focused on growing his gunsmithing business, becoming internationally renowned for his bluing and color case hardening techniques.

Tom was a skilled horseman and passionate outdoors man. He loved his time hunting and fishing in the wilderness, and the walls of his favorite room in his home were adorned with the trophies he harvested over the years. A hard worker, there was not much Tom would shy away from taking on himself, a trait he proudly passed on to his children. An avid self-teacher, Tom could be found spending his evenings buried in books learning new skills and honing those he already possessed. Tom's bronze sculptures are a testament to his creative mind, artistic ability, and are a highlight of his many self-taught accomplishments.

Tom is survived by his children Thomas Jr. "Bud" (Debbie), Kelly (Tamra), Barry (Pam), Sandra "Sandy" (Doug) Wilson, his stepchildren Dennis (Mary) Pleckham, Neal (Phyllis) Pleckham, Diane "Dee" (Larry) Bettenhausen, as well as daughters-in-law Cindy Ivanoff and Liudmila "Mila" Ivanoff. He is preceded in death by his wives Shirley (Montpetit) Ivanoff and Helen (Gotz) Ivanoff, as well as his sons Richard, Clayton, and Christopher Ivanoff.

Services will be held Monday, January 12th, 2026, at St. Anthony's Catholic Church in Cody, Wyoming. There will be a 10:30 a.m. rosary prayer and the funeral mass will begin at 11:00 a.m. Upon completion of the funeral service, attendees are invited to join the family for lunch, which will be held in the basement of the church.