Thomas Edgar McColley

1926 - 2025

Thomas Edgar McColley

January 11, 1926 - September 23, 2025

Thomas Edgar McColley, 99, of Brighton, Michigan, passed away peacefully at home on September 23, 2025.

Born January 11, 1926, in Chamberlain, South Dakota, to Morris B. and Naomi (Cole) McColley, Tom grew up with his brother, Morris G. McColley, in a family devoted to service. He graduated from Spearfish High School in 1944, and soon after enlisted in the U.S. Navy Seabees, serving in Okinawa during World War II. He was honorably discharged in 1946.

That same year, Tom met Cornelia Anne Quigley. Both enrolled at San Jose State University, where they married before their senior year and graduated together in 1950. They began married life in San Francisco, where Anne taught school and Tom worked in mortgage loans while attending mortuary science school.

In 1953, Tom and Anne purchased a funeral home in Hot Springs, South Dakota, beginning nearly four decades of service to the community. While raising their four children, Pamela (Pam), Mary (Mitzi), Thomas (Tom), and Lesley, they expanded their ventures by establishing McColley's Chapel of the Hills, renovating the Evans Hotel into the Century House, and building the Best Western Inn by the River.

He was active in civic life, serving as President of the South Dakota Funeral Directors Association, President of the Lions Club, and as a gubernatorial appointee to the South Dakota Board of Funeral Directors. He also served on the Hot Springs School Board and on local hospital boards.

In 1991, Tom and Anne moved to Arvada, Colorado, where they enjoyed new friendships, bridge, and world travel. After Anne's passing in 2008, Tom moved to Brighton, Michigan, in 2017 to be near family.

Tom was known for his devotion to family, his professional innovation, and his generosity to the community, including establishing the McColley Vision Fund to support projects in Hot Springs. He was preceded in death by his wife, Anne; and is survived by his four children; grandchildren; great-grandchildren; and many friends. Tom was laid to rest with full military honors at Fort Logan National Cemetery in Denver, Colorado.

Keehn-Griffin Funeral Home

706 W Main Street ~ Brighton, MI 48116