Comments on: Thomas Edward Twichel

By: Tom & Judy Davis

Tom & Judy Davis — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Marilyn and family,

We are deeply saddened to learn of Tom’s death. He truly was a dedicated funeral director by any definition of that title. We were always made to feel welcomed by Tom in our early years in funeral service and often looked to him as a positive influence and example. More especially, we were very proud to call Tom and you, Marilyn, our friends.

We will miss him. Our thoughts and prayers are with you all.

Tom and Judy

By: Hal & Nikki Harrison

Hal & Nikki Harrison — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dear Marilyn & Family,
What wonderful memories we have of our time together in Helena. Tom was the best and a very dear friend. Our love to you all. He is already missed. We will be out of town but our thoughts will be with you at his services.

By: Jack & Gail Roderick

Jack & Gail Roderick — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Helen and Family
I am sorry for your loss. We always enjoyed seeing your folks at the softball games.

By: Jean Manger Cloninger

Jean Manger Cloninger — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Marilyn and family..I am saddened by your loss. In a way we were family..
Jean Manger Cloninger
Riverside, Ca

By: Kay Mathews

Kay Mathews — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Tom will be greatly missed. He always had a smile and friendly “hello” when I would see him. Please accept my deepest sympathy for you loss.

By: Kevin Christy Kelsey Kacie Roberts

Kevin Christy Kelsey Kacie Roberts — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Our best memories of Tom are when we spent time at Twichel family functions. He was always easy to converse with and while he watched his family, you could see that he was very proud of what he was surrounded with and truly valued his time with his family. He was a joy to be around and will be missed greatly.

By: Kreamer Family

Kreamer Family — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dear Twichel Family, Tom was always a bright spot at the Cathedral. He will be dearly missed. We will be praying for his soul, as he faithfully did for so many who have gone before him.

We thank God for the gift of Tom!

By: Kristen Palmer

Kristen Palmer — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Twichel family,
I am so sorry for your loss! Tom was a wonderful man and will be greatly missed by all…even the few people he had not had the chance to meet. I am so happy to have met him and shared a part of his life. My thoughts and prayers are with all of you!

By: LEANN SMITH

LEANN SMITH — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

My deepest sympathy to Peter and Mary and the whole Twichel family,Tom will be greatly missed by everyone who had the honor to meet him.

By: Fred Nelson

Fred Nelson — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

My thoughts and prayers are with the family. Tom’s 2 sons-in-law will be just as good in the funeral service as Tom, because they had a great teacher. May God bless all of you.

By: Darren Bearshield Melton

Darren Bearshield Melton — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Tom,

Thanks for all the help and support over the years with the Native American services that we have worked together on.
I am sad that you are no longer with us, but at the same time know your presence on this Earth made it a better place.
Just take a look at all the people you have helped over the years as a testament to that.
Take care and God Bless…
Darren Bearshield Melton

By: Dan and Sandy Hash

Dan and Sandy Hash — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

We will miss Tom. We thank you Lord for this man who helped our family through difficult times.

By: Annie Houtchens

Annie Houtchens — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dear Twitchel Family,
My thoughts and prayers are with
every one of you’s as you mourn the loss of your husband, father, grandfather, and friend
His spirit will continue to live on in you as you cherish the memories, laughter, and love that he gave.
God Bless You’s

By: Ashley Fusaro

Ashley Fusaro — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Here are a few memories that the Twichel Family came up with….
Judy: It was Judy’s wedding day and everyone was hustling around. Tom said to Judy, “We need to get you to the church!” So Judy and Tom head to the church. We are not sure why, but Judy was holding the veil out the window and at this point she started getting a little bit nervous about the big day. Judy asked her dad for some words of advice because he had been married for about 30 years. He said, “Judy, life is like a circle, you have the upper part of the circle and the lower part of the circle, and if you ever feel like something is not going well, you’re probably in the downhill part of the circle. Just remember, no matter what you do or who you’re with, you will always end up in that same circle of ups and downs. It’s better to stay in the same circle because the upper part (good times) is right around the corner.
Dennis: Tom’s children were horrible drivers. When Dennis was 14 he got his driver’s license and Tom went out and purchased a Volkswagen Bug from the Nuns at the convent. It miraculously made it through Mary, but not a single part of it was dent free. One Saturday morning after Dennis had wrecked the van at the drive-in, he looked outside to see that his dad had discovered the damage. Well lucky for Dennis, David had wrecked the Dodge and Helen and wrecked the Volkswagen also the night before. All Tom could do is walk from one damaged vehicle to the next shaking his head. When he came back inside, he called Dan Bartsch to see what could be done. Tom never got too upset about all the wrecked vehicles (and believe me there were a lot), he was just glad everyone was alright.
Gina: Tom and Marilyn, Pat and Bill Huber, and Mark and Gina met for breakfast for the first time. Tom, who had met most of Gina’s family, was asking how they were. Gina had mentioned her sister and Tom responded, “Oh Barbi is you sister, the pretty one!”
Ashley: Ashley was younger and “conveniently” missed church. The rest of the family had already been but Ashley had missed. Ashley said, “Dang, I guess I have to miss church because I can’t go by myself.” Grandpa responded, “Oh, well I don’t mind going again!” So Grandpa and Ashley headed to mass, Tom for the second time that day. Tom was always leading by example and sharing his faith with his family.
Taylor: One time when Taylor and Mackenzie were riding with Grandma and Grandpa, Grandma was driving. Tom and Marilyn were disagreeing with which way to go. Tom was giving what he thought was a faster route, and Marilyn was not having it. Marilyn went her way and Tom started to argue. Without missing a beat, Marilyn said, “Tom, do you want to drive?” There was not another word out of Grandpa!
Mark: After Tom received his last rights, Mark let Msgr O’Neill know that earlier in the day dad looked up at him and said “I’m just waiting for my ride!” Msgr said, “Well, I think God is exchanging that Studebaker for the Ferrari!”
Helen: Tom never knew a stranger. Anyone he met soon became a friend. They knew him as “Tom Twichel, Helena Montana!”
Bill Rothie: Bill and Judy arrived late one night to Tom and Marilyn’s. Bill, who had never met Tom, was busy carrying in their luggage. Judy introduced Bill to Tom and Tom said, “Hello, nice to meet you. Girls upstairs, boys downstairs!”
Bob Goetz: Bob was very upset that his father had grounded him. Then, Bob was REALLY mad when he found out his buddy Jerry and a few other friends were going motorcycling, but he couldn’t go. Bob knew there was no point arguing with Tom, because when Tom disciplined he meant it! Bob quickly discovered that his grounding was a blessing in disguise, when he learned one of his friends had wrecked their motorcycle and was in an accident. They spent a month and a half in the hospital, and Bob only had to suffer a week’s grounding.
David: David got caught climbing on the roof of the funeral home again, so Tom sent him to his room for a spanking. When Tom got to the bedroom to deliver the spanking, he found David crying. Well, Tom saw David crying so he started to cry and couldn’t go through with the spanking.
Mary: Mary will miss talking to Tom every day on her way to teach at St. Matthew’s school. After finishing her conversation, she always got to go to Morning Prayer and pray for her father.
Mary: David and Mary got caught smoking cigarettes under the pine tree next door. Once again Tom couldn’t deliver a spanking, because Mary and David convinced Tom that it was the neighbor’s fault for convincing them to smoke!
Pete: Mary and Pete had driven from Bozeman to Helena in the middle of winter in a vehicle without heat. Pete was meeting Tom and Marilyn for the first time. When Pete had walked in the door, Tom shook his hand and said it looks like you need a shot of whiskey. Tom poured the shot and Pete was no longer nervous about his future in-laws.
Kids: When everyone was leaving, Tom was always checking the nooks and crannies while asking if everyone got everything. As family was rushing out the door their response was always, “Yes, yes, yes, we love you, yes we have everything!” Well the minute someone would leave, Tom or Marilyn would find something that was forgotten. Tom would rush down the street or drive to the gas station to drop off the lost item.
Cathy: Cathy quickly realized how slow of an eater Tom was. She was used to her family’s fast paced meals and after having a few meals with the Twichel’s she couldn’t believe how long it took him to finish his meal but realized that it was because everyone wanted to talk to him and he never had the chance to eat.
Kids: Tom had more than 7 children, as everyone who gathered at the end of the counter to greet him, thought of him as family.
Ashley: As many have mentioned, Tom never knew a stranger. We are not sure if it is because he was so friendly or knew everybody. We were in South Bend, Indiana and of course Tom found someone he knew in an Irish Pub. He had many children, grandchildren, family and friends but you would have never guessed this because you always felt so special and like you were the only person in the whole world when you were in his presence.
Marilyn: Even though Annette was upset that Tom and Marilyn were going together, she still invited Tom and his friend to dinner. When it came time for Tom to propose to Marilyn, Annette still was not too keen on the idea. She didn’t mind feeding him as a boyfriend but did not want to feed him as a son-in-law. Again, Annette was not thrilled that another child was going to get married. Mitch was going to propose to Linda Kay and it was not going well with Annette. Tom took it upon himself to talk the matter over with Annette. Remembering he had just been through the same situation with her the year before, he was able to convince Annette that this was a good idea!

By: Barbara & Michael Sheridan

Barbara & Michael Sheridan — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Dear Marilyn,

We are so very sorry about this news. We will continue to hold Tom, and all your family, in prayer.

By: Barbara Nolan

Barbara Nolan — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Marilyn and family,
So sorry to hear of Tom’s death. My thoughts and prayers are with you.

By: Ben Larango

Ben Larango — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Sorry to hear of Tom’s passing. My thoughts and pary’s are with you and your family

By: Bill and Teri Palmer

Bill and Teri Palmer — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Marilyn, and all of the Twichel family, you are all in our thoughts and prayers today~ may your faith be strong and bring you comfort. Tom was a GREAT man and touched our lives with his kindness and his humor. We will always remember him!

By: Charley & Ellen Martin

Charley & Ellen Martin — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Marilyn, I met your husband at my dad’s supper club in 1977 when I was in Helena on a visit. He had brought some valentine cards that I had given to you when we were in St. Mary’s and I thought to myself, “what a neat guy to be so thoughtful to do this.” May God console you and your family in this period of deep mourning.

By: Colleen Deppmeier Stoltzfus

Colleen Deppmeier Stoltzfus — Tue, 30 Nov -0001 00:00:00 +0000

Marilyn, Helen and family, My heart is so sad for your loss. I cannot tell you how much Tom meant to me, both as a kid growing up around all of you and now even as an adult. He truly was like a second father to me and I am so grateful to have known him. I am thinking of you all every minute and will be with you in the next few days.

All my love, Colleen