Thomas Lee Hatch

Thomas Lee Hatch, age 84, passed away peacefully in his home in Shelley, Idaho while surrounded by family on December 26, 2018. Tom was born on July 28, 1934 in Ivins, Idaho to Lee and Beatrice (Lloyd) Hatch. He was a Southeast Idaho boy through and through despite the time he had to be away in his young adult years. He served faithfully as a missionary for the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints in the Great Lakes Mission, then obtained his degree at Ricks College where he was on the tumbling team. In March of 1957 Tom joined the U.S. Army where he served in the Korean War as a mechanic. He was transferred to the Army Reserves in 1959 and was honorably discharged in 1963. While stationed in Fort Lewis, Washington, Tom met his beautiful bride, Bernice Darlene McCune. They were married in the Logan, Utah Temple on April 21, 1959.

After marrying, Tom returned to Idaho with Bernice where he went to work for the Boy Scouts of America as a Professional Scouter for nearly 12 years. He loved taking boys on adventures which included on the of the first white water kayaking expeditions on the Snake River. Tom then parlayed the mechanic skills he developed while serving in the Army into a career that spanned nearly 50 years servicing irrigation pumps and sprinklers for Mel Brown Pump Company, HK Contractors, and his own business, Hatch Pump and Sprinkler. There likely isn’t a pump or sprinkler in the greater Shelley area that he hasn’t installed or repaired. Tom was preceded in death by his father and mother, sister Afton, and best friend and brother Alton. He was known for his quick wit, his infectious smile, and his kind and selfless spirit which will be missed by all who knew him. Tom is survived by his brother Lloyd, Bernice, his beloved wife of 59 years, and their nine children, Daniel (Sharon), Eric (Terri), Kara (Tracy), Jason (Cathy), Krista (Matthew), Connie (Eddy), James (Jennifer), Lee (Sandra), and Michael (Calli), as well 32 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren.

Funeral services will be held on Monday, December 31st at 1:00 p.m. at the Shelley South Stake Center of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 675 South Milton Avenue, Shelley, Idaho. Viewings will be held Sunday, December 30th at Nalder Funeral Home, 110 West Oak Street in Shelley, Idaho from 6:00 to 7:30 p.m. and Monday morning from 11:30 a.m. to 12:40 p.m. at the Stake Center. Interment will be at the Taylor Cemetery, Idaho Falls, Idaho with Military Rites by the David B. Bleak Post #93 of Shelley assisted by the Idaho Army Honor Guard.