Tom and I were hut mates and good friends at the American air base at RAF Burtonwood in the north of England in the mid-‘50s. He was our best man when my wife and I were married in Manchester. I spent some time with him when I was stationed in Denver and he was an AFROTC student at Northern Colorado. My wife and I visited Glenys and Tom in Conifer a number of years back and had a lovely time with them showing us some of the sights and just sitting around, with a glass of wine, reminiscing and talking about family.

Tom was an amazing man: actual Air Force hero; devoted family man; special figure in the church; serious wine maker and photographer; great story teller. He made a real contribution in so many ways. You will be missed, Tom.

Hi Mike and Christopher,
I was saddened to learn of Tom's passing.
He was a great friend in high school - we were in a loose group we called "The Terrible Triumverate plus Two" - members were Tom, Frank Carr, Werner Aehlich, Tom Fleck and myself. We were perhaps the least barbaric of any teenage group, but we had a lot of fun together anyhow. After high school most went into the military - most to USAF.  We sort of kept in touch afterwards; most contact initiated by Frank Carr. Consequently we had some vague idea about Tom's family (Glenys and you guys), USAF travels and experiences (obviously well regarded in the military), and church connection.
One incident about his mother (your grandmother, presumably) remains with with me: she was a Little Falls telephone operator. When one picked up the phone the operator said "Number Please". I called Tom a couple of times every week to formulate after school plans. Once I picked up the phone and the operator said, not "Number Please" but "He's not home, he's at the dentist." His mom!
Please, if you haven't already, tell your family how Tom made a lot of people's lives fuller.
Bob Jeffreys


I knew Deacon Tom when he was assigned to Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Denver.   It was a great time in my life, because all of us on the "staff" worked so well together.  Tom would drop in on his way to or coming from visits to the sick, tell a tremendous story or two, lend a hand in whatever project was ongoing at the time, and raise the spirits if we happened to be down.

It was fun learning about his hobby of winemaking and the awesome gift he was given of having his wine at the Mass said by Pope John Paul at the Cathedral.  We shared stories of Vietnam, my brother having been there around the same time as Tom was.  All of us followed with great interest the progress of the house he was building in Conifer and the progress as well of his sons in school.  And we all read the book he wrote about the role of Deacons in the modern Church.

One of the highlights of my life was attending the program for Mother Teresa when she came to Denver.  Tom and Glenys invited me to sit with them.  Our seats were in the nosebleed section, and Mother Teresa seemed even tinier than in fact she was; but it was a thrill just to be able to be in her presence, and sharing it with the Quinlans made it even more special.

Two future canonized saints in Denver during  Tom's career as a Deacon.  Special time; special man.

OBITUARY

Deacon Thomas Eugene Quinlan

April 5, 1937 – March 23, 2022

Advantage Funeral & Cremation Services – Runyan-Stevenson

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