Thomas Bartholow Brookings

June 16, 1935 – March 29, 2018

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Thomas Earl Bartholow, 82,  of Brookings, died peacefully at Brookings hospital on Thursday, March 29, 2018.

Memorial services are at 10:30 a.m. Monday at Johnson and Henry Funera.l Home, 305 East Ash in Arlington.  A private family burial will be in the Jeske family plot in Arlington City Cemetery.

Thomas was born June 16, 1935, in Mitchell to Cecil and Della (Jeske) Bartholow, and grew up in Huron.  He also spent childhood summers on his uncle’s farm near Arlington.  He graduated from Huron High School in 1953, and attended South Dakota State University from 1953-55 before transferring to the University of South Dakota, where he graduated in 1957 with a degree in business administration and a minor in music.  While in college, Thomas spent the summer of 1956 driving a tour bus in Yellowstone National Park, sleeping in remote, primitive cabins within the park.

Immediately following his college graduation, Thomas went to work for the family business, W. E. Bartholow and Sons Construction Company of Huron (an asphalt paving company), where he worked for many years, retiring as president and general manager in 1983.  Thomas had a life-long interest in aviation, and earned his pilot’s license at the age of 25.  This skill allowed him to travel more quickly between job sites he oversaw in remote areas around the state, often landing a single-engine Beechcraft Bonanza or Cessna 172 Skyhawk in open fields near the road crews. 

Thomas was an avid outdoorsman with a passion for wildlife and conservation, and created a wetland and wildlife sanctuary, the Bs’ Nest Ranch, southwest of Huron.  

These interests, along with encouragement from his wife, Donna Lee (Childs) Huff Bartholow, a life-long professional visual artist, led to his second career as a nature photographer.  

His photos, often featuring close-ups of pheasants and other game birds, were featured in numerous magazines and on South Dakota Public Broadcasting, and can be seen in several banks, hospitals and other public buildings in the region.  

Thomas also contributed to several civic and charitable organizations.  He received the South Dakota Governor’s Award for Volunteerism, in honor of his work starting diabetic support groups across the state and with the American Diabetes Association.  Thomas was an elder of the First Presbyterian Church of Huron, and after moving to Brookings in 2003, he and Donna Lee hosted the Brookings Pray for the Nations Fellowship in their home for more than 12 years. 

Thomas is survived by his wife of 37 years, Donna Lee; sister-in-law Llewellyn K. Bartholow  of Fort Wayne, Indiana; sons Earl D. (Lynn)  Bartholow of Sioux Falls, Stephen P. (Candice)  Bartholow of Medford, Oregon, and Bruce D. (Susan) Bartholow of Columbia, Missouri; step-sons Scott I. Huff of Rapid City, Robert J. Huff of Sioux Falls, and William R. Huff of Huron; two nephews; a niece; nine grandchildren;  two great-grandchildren; and numerous grand-nephews and -nieces.  

Thomas was preceded in death by his brother, Roger Bartholow.