Thomas Coley Obituary

Thomas Coley
April 29, 1930
April 30, 2025

April 29, 1930 – April 30, 2025

Thomas (Tom) W. Coley was born on April 29, 1930, in Akron, Ohio, to Paul A. Coley and Opal O. Coley (Rickard). In 1943, he moved with his parents to Houston, Texas, where he later graduated from the University of Houston.

After college, Tom entered the U.S. Army. Following completion of the Officers Basic Course at Fort Belvoir, he attended Army Aviation Flight School and earned his wings on January 29, 1955. Shortly before graduating, he married his college sweetheart, Lora Kemper. Together, they embarked on their first assignment with the 9/37 Aviation Company in the Panama Canal Zone and later in Tegucigalpa, Honduras.

Tom's military career included a variety of command and staff assignments, both flying and ground duty, across the United States, Korea, Vietnam (two tours), and Europe. As a pilot, he achieved Master Aviator status, logging over 4,000 flight hours in both fixed-wing and rotary-wing aircraft, including more than 300 hours of combat time (and only shot once :-)
While stationed overseas, Tom and Lora welcomed their first two children: Stephen Kemper, born in Panama, and Carol Susan, born in Honduras. Ten years later, their third child, Todd William, was born in Shreveport, Louisiana.

After several duty stations, including Fort Carson, Colorado, the family chose to settle permanently in Colorado Springs, where Tom eventually retired from active duty. In civilian life, Lora pursued a successful career as a professional artist, while Tom became a real estate broker. With his people skills, care for his clients, and strong sense of integrity, he found success in his second career. Real estate was a perfect fit—it; it allowed him to connect with people, solve problems, and continue serving others in a meaningful way.
Outside of work and family, Tom was an avid tennis player. It was his favorite sport, and he played well into his later years.

Dad took great pride in his growing family, celebrating the arrival of three great-grandchildren. He will be remembered for his dedication to family, his distinguished military service, his adventurous spirit, his warm, generous heart, and the countless friendships he built both personally and professionally.

We love you Dad. Thank you.