Thomas Joseph "Tom" Robbennolt

Thomas Joseph Robbennolt, 78, passed away at home on Feb 8, 2026. Tom was born in Cedar Rapids, IA but grew up in Delmont and Mitchell, SD. He loved living in small towns where he knew everyone and felt most at home on the plains. In fact, throughout his life he referred to himself as a "flatlander" and never cared much for mountains or the ocean.

Tom started a long and successful career in sheet metal when he was only 13 years old. He learned the trade quickly and took a lot of pride in his work. He was known to be hard-working, highly proficient, and well-liked and respected by his coworkers. He enjoyed working on challenging jobs as well as teaching younger tradesmen.

Tom was a mischievous as a child, lighthearted as a young man, and could be downright onery later in life. He loved to tease the people he loved, especially children. He was always quick with a joke or to poke fun at people lovingly. He was competitive and loved making quarter bets with people on card games, sporting events and even which contestant would win the Wheel of Fortune. He loved playing cards throughout his life, especially games like Hearts and Up and Down. He taught his kids and grandkids how to play (and it wasn't often that he let them win!)

Tom had a deep love for fishing. He especially loved fishing on the Missouri River in South Dakota where his favorite fish to catch and eat was catfish. He also loved playing and watching sports. Growing up, he played football, basketball and track for Notre Dame (high school). His favorite sport was softball, which he played and watched throughout his life. He was an elite softball player and was even invited to try out for the U.S. Olympic team when he was in his 20's. He was an intellectual player who studied other teams and loved to play catcher because he could see the whole field. In recent years, he was famous for being a strong competitor at cornhole and always challenged family and friends to games. In Tom's words, "I don't remember ever losing, so I must have never lost!"

Tom was a self-described "outdoor person" and spent as much time being and working outside as he could. He enjoyed gardening from a young age and especially loved to grow strawberries, rhubarb, tomatoes and peppers. He would make strawberry rhubarb pies using his mom's special recipe for neighbors and friends. He would also make a lot of salsas (mild to extra hot) and enjoyed giving it away to people. Many of you reading this may have received one of his famous plastic water bottles full of salsa at some point. This was just one of the ways that he showed people how much he cared about them.

Tom loved to help people and often helped his friends and neighbors mow their yards or cut down old trees when they needed that. He was a proud member of the Fraternal Order of Eagles and was very active in supporting their charities. He sold pickles at bingo games, cooked hamburgers on Wednesdays and donated to fundraisers they had throughout the year. Perhaps most memorably, Tom collected aluminum cans from the lodge and friends/neighbors, took them to be recycled and then donated the money to the Eagles to buy kids school supplies and Christmas presents.

Tom is preceded in death by his brothers Mitchell Robbennolt and Scott Robbennolt. He survived by his loving family including his wife of 39 years, Pam, and five children; Josie Scovill, Kelly Robbennolt, Jody Downing, Steven Benham and Shauna Zalinyev, nine grandchildren, and two great grandchildren. He is also survived by five of his seven siblings: Jan Fitzgerald, Bill Robbennolt, Kevin Robbennolt, Jola Robbennolt and Kathy Croucher.

There will be a celebration of life in April, 2026, in Broomfield, CO and another celebration of life in Mitchell, SD during the Robbennolt Family Reunion in June this year. In lieu of flowers, Tom would appreciate donations in his name to either Shriners Children's Hospitals or A Precious Child