Letter to the Hospital

 

To whom it may concern:

We are writing to express our deepest gratitude for the extraordinary care your ICU and respiratory staff provided for my husband, Tom Archer, over the last three and a half weeks. It was important to Tom that each care worker be recognized and acknowledged for their dedication, compassion, and skill. We could easily have more than 12 Daisy award nominees so we hope that you would be able to convey our heartfelt appreciation and deep thanks for all they did and who they are.

First and foremost ICU nurse Kate Falibeve and Respiratory nurse Nichole Elliat moved mountains in order that Tom could hold his newest grandchild born the day before his passing. There are not enough words to express how much this meant to Tom and our family. Kate’s nursing skills, her nurturing and compassionate care were extraordinary and provided Tom great peace, solace, and many, many smiles.

Nicole, along with many of the respiratory team members was a powerful force to ensure each day was the best it could be. Nicole is deeply caring and brought Tom encouragement and laughter over her many patient check-ins.

Max, Adam, Todd, Savannah, Alison, Elle, Shane, Abbey, Savanah in respiratory, Jenn, Cat, Sarah, Lydia, Ross, Alla and Amara. These nurses were amazing and we greatly appreciated each and every one.

Shane from respiratory facilitated time for Tom to walk in spite of challenging oxygen needs, and a plethora of wires and equipment. This was a critical step in helping his positive mental disposition and hope. Additionally, Shane was a constant source of encouragement and he conveyed his sincere care and concern for Tom’s health and well-being.

Denni from Respiratory was amazing in her attentive care and nurturing presence. She demonstrated excellent skills and empathy, and they formed a mutual admiration duo.

During one night – Max was on the ICU night duty and Tom experienced a breathing struggle. Max delivered exceptional care to correct the situation and exhibited the most gentle concern to attend to Tom’s comfort. Max held his head gently and Tom’s words to Max were “You have an amazing future, I feel your care.” What better way to convey the difference he made in the life of his patient.

Jaquen Stoops (Respiratory) was an additional support to meet Tom’s needs and for our family. He personally visited a number of times to ensure Tom’s comfort as well as helping to facilitate the visit with his new granddaughter.

Our deepest appreciation to Parker Adventist for your care, expert assistance, and compassion. Tom was so grateful for every individual involved in his care. I know Tom brought his humor to help lighten the load for each of the nurses and conveyed just how important their dedication to the profession was.

Thank you to the doctors as well. We know they play a critical role in facilitating the care that the nurses and respiratory staff implement.

We are forever grateful.

 

Thank you.

Sharon Archer and family

Kevin Archer, Christine Archer, Tracie Archer and Mark Archer

Candy Shop Miniature Completed

 

Family

Nothing is more important than family. We were so grateful to have family join us from afar to honor Dad. Today we spent the day at Mom's house, catching up with everyone, sharing memories, snuggling baby Grace and just being together.

 

Eulogy

 Good Morning and thank you for coming. How do you possibly encapsulate the spirit of Thomas Rowland Archer, mostly known as Dad or Poppy in our circles, in 5 minutes.
 
Tom was born in 1940 in the small town of Mount Kisco, New York and raised in nearby Katonah. For the most part he was raised by his Elderly Grandmother who passed away when he was still very young at which point the phrase "it takes a village to raise a child" was never more acute. The small Town provided him with odd jobs and made sure that he was fed and clothed in return.

Dad later met our mother Sharon in College, fell head over heels in Love with her, and together they set out with very little but a common mantra between them, family first.
 
Every corner of our life we were blessed to not endure the hardships that our Father and mother did. Every meal there was food, though maybe not always the best, thinking of you chipped beef, we've never known hunger.
 
 Dad instilled in us that no matter what we have God, and we have family.
 
We were taught not to fear hard work but seek it out as it makes us stronger . That money isn't as important as our word and never to stop dreaming nor stop working towards the dreams. Work hard, dream, don’t give up, and you'll be successful in your own right, an idiom we've each heard many  times.
 
Hard work even became our family pastime, working on nights and weekends raising critters, building barns, and heading to horse shows.
 
For all these reasons and too many more to list our family still comes first and we remain close to this day, we've simply never known any other way.
 
But who was Dad beyond an incredible father grandfather to eight, husband, air force veteran, and mortgage broker?
 
He loved nature, especially Sunsets and animals - the enlarged bluebird, twice the size of his peers from all the "love" Dad gave him is proof positive of that. He loved a good cup of coffee, music, art, his faith and his family.  He loved to laugh and had a quirky but endearing sense of humor. For all of your attendance here today he would've offered you each a fish sandwich at McDonalds.
 
 More than anything he was a true people person who put other people's happiness above his own. He accepted every single person as an individual and celebrated what makes us all unique. He thrived on bringing a smile to everyone around him, no matter their background, and his grandkids can verify that he always had an extra peppermint lifesaver in his pocket to share.
 
He was the volunteer soccer coach that would take an entire team of single parent children in the back of his truck to  play in the games, buy their uniforms, and even pay for their registration just so those kids could enjoy just being kids.
 
He would walk the aisles of King Soopers and Walmart  seemingly daily, striking up conversations and telling jokes with anyone within earshot. As children we got used to a grocery trip taking about an hour longer than needed simply due to the 45 separate 1-5 minute conversations with clerks and customers.
 
 One of his favorite things to say was when he came upon a frowning patron who happened to be female. "these are my teenage sons, you're a very lovely young lady, I'll pay for the wedding". Mortified at the time we learned through the years this had little to do with sending us into hiding from massive teenage embarrassment and everything with making another human smile, feel appreciated, and even special.
 
 In every encounter with another human being he taught us to be gracious and to be kind, you never know what someone else may be going through.
 
And so came his final three weeks in the hospital. Every Janitor, Nurse, Lab Technician or Doctor that entered his room Dad would make it a point to get to know them, tell them how much he appreciated them, and make them smile and feel that Love.
 
Dad made sure every single one of them was smiling and laughing anytime they walked in his room. He developed such strong quick bonds with the staff that nearly everyone who took care of him, and there were many, came by distraught when his health didn’t improve. He never once felt sorry or bad but thanked God for his family and for every single worker that had taken time to care for him. One particularly rough evening a very young Nurse Max took care of Dad and he grabbed Max softly by a shoulder, looked him in the eyes, and told him thank you, I feel your care.
 
The day before he passed his eighth Grandchild was born, up a floor from the ICU. The nurses and staff moved mountains the next day, taking Dad and all his Oxygen needs, a feat of absolute strength and fortitude, upstairs to the maternity floor where  he raised his hand in triumph after holding her and helped find her name, Grace May.
 
Dad knew at that moment his time was near. After returning him and all his machines to his ICU room many of the nursing staff came by, some who were not even working that day, to tell Dad goodbye. Every single one of them he would thank and tell them to smile.
 
Today we all mourn but when you think of our Father, Tom, smile, for happiness in others is what he wished for above all else and what he strived to spread.
 
Thank you Dad, We love you, God bless.

Together

Every came to our house after the funeral. We were provided lunch at the church, but ordered pizzas for dinner. It was easy and just important to spend time to together. Grateful to be surrounded by love.

 

Memorial Card

 

Obituary

 Thomas Rowland Archer of Parker, Colorado, passed away surrounded by his family on Wednesday, February 15, 2023, at the age of 82.  A loving husband, father, brother, and Poppy, he will be deeply missed by all.

Tom was born July 2, 1940, in Mt. Kisco, New York, the son of Rowland Frank Archer and Adele Catherine Wade. He was raised in Katonah, New York, where he attended John Jay High School graduating in 1958. He proudly served his country as a Master Sergeant in the United States Air Force ultimately retiring in 1977. During his tenure, he served in both Vietnam and Southeast Asia.

Tom met his future wife at Westchester Community College. He married Sharon Marie McCann on April 23, 1966. They went on to raise four beautiful children that were the center of their lives. Family was everything to Tom.

Tom is survived by his wife of 55 years, Sharon (McCann) Archer; daughters, Christine (Zeb) Archer-Davison and Tracie (Gary) Wenzel; sons, Kevin (Jessica) Archer and Mark (Caroline) Archer; eight grandchildren (Nicolas, Keara, Ethan, Kailei, Sydney, Dylan, Keenan and Grace); two brothers Jeff Archer and Rowland Archer and one sister Debra North. He was preceded in death by his parents.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to American Lung Association

 

Funeral Services
February 24, 2023

Dress is casual.

Ave Maria Catholic Parish (will be live-streamed https://www.youtube.com/@avemaria6284/streams)
9056 E. Parker Rd
Parker, CO 80138

10:30 am Rosary
10:55 am Eulogy
11:00 am Mass
12:00 pm Reception

Burial and Military Honors
2:00 pm approximately
Queen of Heaven Cemetery
34201 County Road 33
Kiowa, CO 80117

Grace May Archer

 

Fashion Shop Miniature Completed

 

Keara's Birthday Lunch

It was hard to find time to celebrate Keara's birthday with all that is going on, but we got organized enough to meet at Mt. Fuji before going to the hospital. Happy Birthday my sweet girl!

 

We love you Nala!

 

Dad's Daily Mantra