Thomas J. DAHMEN

1923 - 2016

DAHMEN, Thomas J.

Our dear Dad passed away Sunday, July 31st from septic shock. He was born on December 17, 1923 in Uniontown, WA, the ninth child of Nick and Anna Dahmen. Shortly after high school graduation, Tom enlisted in the Navy and served in the Pacific theater during WWII. After his discharge, he returned home and married the love of his life, Virginia Baker. Tom and Virginia moved to Spokane where he found work as a dental technician. After working for a few labs, he decided it was time to open his own lab. Together with two partners, Crown Dental Lab became a reality. Tom was a true artist when it came to working with porcelain. He could see the slightest difference in color and was often called to a dentist office for a "shade check" to ensure a person's new tooth would match perfectly.
After retirement Dad briefly dabbled in politics. He was elected mayor of Fighting Creek, soundly beating out the competition. The position carried one heavy responsibility - to keep the outhouse clean. Politics may not have been his forte as he was not re-elected.
Dad also loved his garden. Every year, he spent hours painstakingly planting, weeding, thinning and picking the fruits of his labor. Dad instilled the love of fresh, wholesome food in all of his children as we all have our own gardens today. He always planted more than he could eat and enjoyed sharing it with others. Dad was an extremely generous gentleman - he was there with an ear to listen to you, words of wisdom to boost your morale and a helping hand to get you where you needed to be.
"The lake" was another priority in his life. Every Friday you could count on him being at the cabin for happy hour with his buddies. During the fall and winter the cabin was "sports central" where everyone would gather to watch non-stop football and basketball. Dad loved having people around him and he loved having a good time!
Tom was pre deceased by his wife Virginia. He is survived by one sister Anna Marie, his children and their spouses: Mike, Pati (Louis), Rick (Linda) and Phil; grandchildren - Jeff, Marc, Kayla (Jeff), Charlie and Jordan, his adorable great-grandson Harrison and nieces and nephews, too numerous to name.
A mass of Christian burial will be performed on Friday, August 19th at St. Peter's Catholic Church at 10:00 am. A reception will immediately follow. Dad supported many charitable organizations and it would please him if, in lieu of flowers, a donation would be made in his name to: Cancer Can't; KSPS; Spokane Youth Sports Assoc.; or Washington State Veteran's Cemetery/Medical Lake.