Thomas Tella Obituary

Thomas John Tella (Tom) passed away quietly at his residence in a senior living center in Dallas, Texas, on December 19, 2021 at the age of 100. Tom was born in Chandler, Colorado, to Corinto and Elizabeth Tella. Corinto had immigrated from Italy, and Elizabeth was a first-generation Italian. His family moved to Canon City, Colorado, where Tom attended school until the age of 16 when he went to work in the coal mines to support his family after his father had been injured in a mining accident.

A few years later, Tom moved to Chicago and worked for American Can Company until the attack on Pearl Harbor. Tom signed up and joined the Marine Corps in 1942 and trained at Camp Pendleton in California with the First Marine Division before being deployed to the South Pacific. He fought in the Solomon Islands on Guadalcanal, Munda Point, and Bougainville. In 1944, Tom returned to the States due to contracting malaria in the islands. He continued in the Marine Corps as an airplane mechanic until December 1945, when he was discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant.

Tom returned to Canon City where he started his own coal hauling company. He married Mary Yekovich in 1947 and was father to two sons, Tom and Joe. In 1953, Tom and his family moved to Durango where he started Tella's Standard Service, a very successful business he built with many loyal customers. Tom retired from the service station business in 1976 and went to work at Morehart Chevrolet Company as a car salesman. He very much enjoyed his time at Morehart's as he dealt with many of his former customers from his days at the service station.

In the late 1980s, Tom retired from Morehart and he and Mary did extensive traveling during their retirement. Tom also enjoyed gardening, fishing, golfing, and spending time with his grandchildren. After 70 years of marriage, Mary passed away in 2017 and Tom moved to a senior living center in Dallas, Texas, to be close to his eldest son. Tom made some good friends in Dallas and was able to see his family on a frequent basis.

Tom is survived by his eldest son Tom (Charly) Tella of Plano, TX; his grandchildren, Amber (Dan) Cox of Durango, Samantha (Marc) Dombrowski of Manchester, NH, and Chad (Lauren) Tella of Annandale, VA; and his great-grandchildren Danika, Corbin, and Lorelei. He was preceded in death by his son Joe.

Memorial Service will be planned at a later date in Durango at St. Columba Catholic Church.