Armand Thomas, 88, passed away in his home on December 18, 2019 in the presence of his family. He was a devoted husband, loving father, and beloved grandfather. He will be dearly missed, but will remain in our hearts forever. Armand was born in Chicago, Illinois, son of the late Emanuel (Manny) and Hannah Thomas. While attending the School of Pharmacy at the University of Wisconsin–Madison, he married Nancy Packtor in Chicago in 1953. After graduating from school, he joined the Army as a commissioned officer and was stationed in Denver where his son, Steven, was born in 1956. Following his Army service, he returned to Chicago to join his father in running a pharmacy where he worked for 40 years. Armand and Nancy purchased a house in Wilmette – a Chicago suburb – in 1958, and soon thereafter, their daughter, Betsy, was born in 1961. In 2004, Armand and Nancy moved back to Colorado where they purchased a home in the River Valley Ranch section of Carbondale. Armand loved the outdoors. In winter, his passion was skiing. Skico employees in Snowmass got to know him well as he skied 30+ days each season until age 80. He loved skiing with Nancy as well as his children and grandchildren. When family members were not in town, he easily made friends with whomever rode up the lift with him. In summer, he and Nancy enjoyed riding their tandem bicycle together in the Roaring Fork Valley and Glenwood Canyon. Armand is survived by his wife, Nancy; son, Steven (Nancy) Thomas of Superior, Colorado; daughter, Betsy (Mark) Gatehouse of Greensboro, North Carolina; grandson, Rick (Dori) Thomas of Chicago; and granddaughter, Libby (Jason) Hartmann of Aspen. In lieu of flowers, please give a donation to the charity of your choice.
