Thomas Dale Hand, son of Percy and Celeste (Boysen) Hand, was born on March 24th, 1936 in Pierre, SD. He was raised on the family farm north of Midland, SD in the Four Corners area with an older sister Mary, younger sister Kathleen, and younger brother James David. He attended Little Eagle country school through the 8th grade and then attended Midland High School.
After graduating in 1954 he attended Huron College for one year before moving back to the family farm/ranch to work along side his father and brother.
Tom was united in marriage to Leilani Joyce Anderson on September 13th, 1957 in Midland, SD. They lived on the family farm where Tom has since resided.
Tom was an eight year member of the Army National Guard and was honorably discharged in 1962. He was a member of the Midland School Board for a number of years. He enjoyed most any form of competition. He excelled at rifle shooting as a member of the Kirley Gun Club, was a member of the 4-Corners baseball team for 25 years, participated in many league bowling seasons in Pierre, was an avid outdoorsman who enjoyed hunting and trapping, and loved playing cards with friends and family.
Grateful for having shared his life are his wife Lani; three sons Byron and and his wife Tracey of rural Midland and their daughters Haley, Madison, and Shay; Duane and his wife Annette of rural Midland and their children Dustin, Logan, Kelsey, and Ashley, and Brad and his wife Beth of Pierre and their children Isiah, Samuel, Elijah, and Adrian; a brother David Hand and his wife Laura of Midland; a sister Kathi Hand of Kennewick, Washington; and a host of other relatives and friends.
Tom was preceded in death by his parents Percy and Celeste, and a sister Mary Perryman.
Visitation will be held one hour preceding the services on Friday.
Funeral services will be held 10:00 a.m. MST Friday, January 17, at the Midland School Gymnasium, with Pastor Tel Saucerman officiating.
Interment will follow at the Deep Creek Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers a memorial has been established.
Guest Book
Dear family of Tom, we are thinking of you in this time of sorrow. Remember all the good times as it helps with the healing. Love to all of you.
~ Sandee Gittings
22024 10 Mile Road, Philip (1/12/2014)
May the comfort of family and friends be your strength now and in the days ahead.
~ Anthony, Kelly and Morgan Nelson
Pierre, SD (1/12/2014)
Our deepest sympathy to all of you. We will all remember Tom's hearty laugh. Keep those special memories close to your heart.
Our deepest sympathy to all of you, we will always remember Tom's laugh..
~ Don and Sally Ehlers
Midland (1/12/2014)
You are in our loving thoughts and prayers! May God comfort you with His peace at this very sad time.
Love, Mike and Shar
~ Mike & Shar Moses
Philip (1/12/2014)
Loni & family. So sorry for Toms passing. He was such a supporter of all of the Midland sports & other activities before, during, & long after we all graduated. He always went out of his way to say hello when I'd come back home. My sincere sympathies to you all!! RIP Tom!!
~ Barry Hunt
Battle Mountain, NV. (1/12/2014)
So sorry to hear about the loss of your dad. We all have our time in life, but we are never really ready for it. Will keep you all in my prayers.
~ Jeff Kearney
Piedmont (1/12/2014)
We are so sorry to hear about the loss of Tommy. Our thoughts and prayers are with all of you.
~ Carrie Norman
Hayes (1/12/2014)
So so sorry for your loss!! May you find comfort in that he is no longer suffering from all his ailments!! Our thoughts and prayers to all!! May God Bless you all and God Bless Tom!!
~ Gary and Jody Block
Midland, SD (1/12/2014)
Deepest Sympathy to the Hand family... Many wonderful memories of Tom and Loni Hand over the years of spending time at the Hand Ranch..
~ Nancy Smith (Hetzel)
2437 Belle Fontine Rd Ocean Springs MS 39564 (1/12/2014)
May God comfort sll rhe family at this time. I'm thankful for all the memories of my meetings with him. He sure was a pleasure to visit with.
~ Sherman Burns
Sheridan Wyoming (1/12/2014)
You and your family have our deepest sympathy and prayers. Glenn & Rose
~ Rose Marrington
313 S Harrison, Pierre, SD 57501 (1/12/2014)
Our thoughts and prayers are with you at this difficult time.
~ Bruce and Cindy Bresee
Spearfish, SD (1/12/2014)
Sorry to hear of Tommy's passing I know it is a sad and hard time to get though. May God bless you all. Jacque
~ Jacque Eldridge
Fort Pierre (1/12/2014)
May memories live on forever. Sincere sympathy to the Hand famlies. Donna
~ Donna Welch
Pierre, SD (1/12/2014)
We have so many memories of Tommy! All night card games! Those special times when the boys played sports. Bob loves to tell about the time when they were both in the National Guard and attended meetings in Pierre usually riding together. Bob and I had invited Tommy for supper before Guard meeting. He forgot and ate at home and then ate again at our house. We never found out until later. We had a good laugh over that.
WE are thinking of you and remembering you in prayer. May God comfort and strengthen you
Bob and Verona
~ Bob and Verona Evans
Midland SD (1/12/2014)
Our deepest sympathy to the Hand family for the loss of your loved one. God's peace to all of you.
~ Jim & Mary Bauer
Salem, SD (1/12/2014)
Lani & family: Our deepest sympathy to everyone. Death is never easy to accept. But, we must. Keep the memories close to your hearts, and Tommy will always be near. Tommy was a good person, and will truly be missed.
~ Nels & Dorothy Paulson
Hayes, SD (1/12/2014)
Our prayers are with you and your family. May God give you comfort now and always.
~ Harry & Veona Prince
26124 US HWY 14/34 - Ft. Pierre (1/12/2014)
Our sympathy to all the family. My memories of Tom revolve around our love for baseball and basketball. We stayed in touch at various games and always had a laugh or two. Then, he and Byron helped us so much in laying out the Ft. Pierre to Deadwood trail, creating a totally different, but pleasurable friendship. His was a good life, so deserved by a good man.
~ Lonis Wendt
Vivian (1/12/2014)
Lani, Byron, Duane, Brad and families, Our deepest sympathy to all of you on the loss of Tommy. We have many happy memories of the times when our boys were in school, going to games and track meets in the Evans motor home and of the many games we cheered at. Who could ever be as good as Tommy was with keeping stats in his book. He had great system and you could always count on it to be right. He was a great guy with a wonderful laugh. We will miss him. I'm glad his suffering is done. Prayers are being said for all of you. God give you peace.
~ Barbara and Morris Jones
Midland (1/12/2014)
Our thoughts and prayers with your families. God Bless.
~ Nancy & Greg Lemieux
Pierre, SD (1/12/2014)
Our thoughts and prayers are with you all at this time of your loss of Tommy. He was a wonderful man and we so enjoyed knowing him during our time of living in Midland. May your wonderful memories bring you much comfort.
Hal, Tammy, Ryan and Todd
~ Hal & Tammy Jewett
Highmore, SD (1/12/2014)
Sorry to hear about your Dad, Byron. Take care.
~ Connie & Roger Nelson
65 Prairiewood Crossing (1/12/2014)
Sorry to hear about the loss of Tommy. My thoughts, prayers, and memories are with you. The memory of playing ball with Tommy at Four Corners will always be with me. Keith Norman
~ Keith Norman
Rapid City, SD (1/12/2014)
Our sincere condolences toTommy's family; My dad and I will never forget Tommy as far back as nearly 50yrs ago particularly Dad when they were bowling buddies in Pierre, and as I became old enough to hunt deer in the Black Hills, Tommy gave us terrific insight to hunting the Rochford area, for which we have forever been grateful. as we all transformed into elk hunters, I will always remember our hours of comparing notes with Tommy (and Dave) about strategy,hunting areas, and preparations for backpack hunting the Rocky Mountains for the great " wapiti ". Tommy's enthusiasm was an awesome inspiration to us. Jeff,Dwight,and Bev Peters
~ Jeff Peters and Dwight & Bev Peters
Pierre (1/12/2014)
Lani and Family: So very sorry to hear about Tom's passing. I've known him for many years, going back to the summer of the late 1960's when I worked for the Fosheim Ranch and played baseball with Tom on the 4-Corners team. Many good times, games, and memories. I will always remember his unique laugh and his great sense of humor. He will be missed by all who knew him.
~ Matt Schofield
Philip, SD (1/12/2014)
We are so sorry to hear of your loss. Please know that we are thinking about you, praying for you and wishing you the peace that time and God's gentle touch promises!
~ Shad & Melissa Storley
PO Box 936 Britton, SD 57430 (1/12/2014)
Lani, I'm saddened to hear of Tommy's passing. You and Tommy were great to me and you were both a big part of helping me grow as a young adult. Tommy gave me the freedom I wanted to make decisions and both Tommy and David gave me flexibility to pursue personal interests. Leadership qualities I learned from the five years I spent on the Hand Ranch have helped me my entire life. When I decided to pursue college, Tommy was supportive and agreed to have me back when I was between college semesters, which was a tremendous financial help as I worked to complete my degree. Lani, you are one of the finest people I know, as was Tommy. You were both great to me and I'll be forever grateful. My prayers are with you and the entire Hand family.
~ Les Nemec
112 Monteray Dr., Vicksburg, MS (1/12/2014)