Tommy Albert Dice

Tommy Albert Dice died at home on July 30, 2024. He was born on September 10, 1931 to Forrest Albert and Mildred Isabel (Timney) Dice in a small cabin on his grandparents' ranch outside of Parlin, CO. He grew up on the ranch, spending most of his childhood around the ranch and playing on the rock pile, now known as Indian Head Rock, with animals and imaginary friends.
In 1946, his family sold the ranch, purchased Gunnison Truck Line, and moved into town in Gunnison, CO. Tommy drove trucks for a number of years, both for his dad and later for other trucking companies across southern Colorado and into New Mexico and Arizona. In 1953, he was drafted into the Army and was stationed in England.
After returning home in 1955, a friend introduced Tommy to Cecile Maude Leyshon, whom he married on May 26, 1956, just a day after her high school graduation. Tommy and Cecile had three children: Tommy Lee, Eva Louise, and Jacqueline Annette.
Tommy spent his career working as a diesel mechanic and heavy equipment operator for the Colorado Highway Department. His work took their family from Gunnison to Trinidad, Pueblo, and finally Greeley, where they settled in 1974. He retired in 1991, having served the Highway Department for 30 years.
While his career required long hours away from home, he found moments to make memories with his family, often in the shop or on the work site. They took numerous road trips to visit family and enjoyed camping in the summers.
In 1990, Cecile died, leaving Tommy to find new things to fill his time. He became an avid woodworker and master tinkerer. To the end, he was always dreaming up a new tool or repurposing something he found to accomplish a task. He loved creating pen and pencil sets, calendars, buttons, magnets, and earrings that he would sell or gift to family and friends. He enjoyed computer work, often converting VHS tapes or slides to DVD and "editing" pictures (which often ended up absurdly distorted, though he was so proud!).
Tommy was always delighted to spend time with his family and, in 2005, organized a large family reunion in Greeley to celebrate both Eva and Tommy Lee's 25th wedding anniversaries, which he called the Pair-A-Dice Reunion & Family Gathering. Nothing delighted Tommy more than having his entire family gathered in one place for that weekend.
Sometime in the early 2000s, Tommy's youngest daughter, Jacqueline gave him a book called "Grandpa, Tell Me Your Stories," which prompted him to spend three years writing and publishing a book about the stories of his life from 1931 - 1991. He was so proud of his book and loved sharing it with any who showed interest. He always talked about writing a second book to span from 1991 to today, but never found the time to complete it. His family and friends cherish these memories which he has left for us to read and remember.
Tommy was preceded in death by his parents, wife, daughter Jacqueline Sherrow, and brother Teddy Dice.
He is survived by children Tom (Brenda) Dice of Colorado Springs and Eva (Jeff) Gurney of Greeley; five grandchildren: Ashley Elson, Josh Dice, Jacob Sherrow, Laura Gurney, and Nathan Sherrow; two bonus grandkids: Kevin Jin and Raven Giles; and three great-granddaughters: Talia Elson, Mya Elson, and Jacquelyn Sherrow.
An informal, open-house reception will be held at Adamson Life Celebration Home on Tuesday, August 20 from 2:30-430pm and graveside services will be held at the Gunnison Cemetery Thursday, August 22 at 10:30am.
In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to the Northern Colorado Veterans Resource Center or the American Heart Association.
Adamson Life Celebration Home