Thomas Edward Dykas

Thomas Edward Dykas was born in Poughkeepsie, New York, on March 3, 1944. He joined the Army on March 13, 1961. The military gave him the opportunity to move away from the East Coast, and he eventually ended up at Ft. Lewis, where he completed his service and was honorably discharged on April 21, 1964. He loved the Pacific Northwest so much that he spent the rest of his life in Tacoma, Washington, where he passed away on May 7, 2026, at the age of 82. 

Tom, or TD as many knew him, spent his early adulthood seeking adventure. He enjoyed riding motorcycles, bridge jumping, parachuting, scuba diving, paragliding, and bar fighting, which was apparently a major part of every weekend. In 1969, he joined Local 252 Laborers Union. He worked on many well-known projects throughout the greater Northwest, including Union Station, Fred Hutchinson, the UW Science, Math and Music Building, and the Satsop Nuclear Plant. When he wasn’t working, he spent his time fishing on one of his boats or riding his motorcycle. In the 1990s, Tom moved from the East Side of Tacoma to the North End of Tacoma. He continued recording his show, All My Children, to watch on the weekends. All the neighbors within a five-block radius knew Tom and his dog, Missy. He knew their names, their children’s names, their pets’ names, and sometimes even their extended family members’ names. He took up golfing in his spare time and continued riding motorcycles. 

On May 21, 2005, Tom joined the Outsiders Motorcycle Club (OMC). He spent most of his free time riding Harleys with his brothers. He was later forced to take a medical retirement from the union. Until the very end, he talked about how much he wished he could still be working and how much he loved his job. He lived for a short time in Ocean Shores at the Beach House before moving back to Tacoma, where he spent the remainder of his life spending time with his OMC brothers, his youngest daughter, two of his grandchildren, and going out to breakfast with friends anytime after 11 a.m. Throughout the years, he also had many beloved furry companions to keep him company. 

Tom went out of his way to make everyone feel like family, from the servers at his favorite restaurants to the tellers at the bank. Although he called most women “babe” or “honey,” which his daughter pointed out he should probably stop doing. But he never did. He also called most of his brothers “Danielle,” or “Veronica” if he was frustrated. 

Tom is survived by his son, Thomas Dykas (Grace Dykas); his daughters, Tamara Dykas and Danielle Mounts (Durran Jackson); and his grandchildren, Amanda, Ronnie Dykas, Taylor Dykas, Alison Warren (Chase Warren), Kylease Harmon, and Annabella Mounts. He is also survived by his nephews, Michael Dykas, Bobby Freeman, and Tanner Freeman; and his nieces, Gina Dykas, Anika Lehde, Kelley Lehde, and Lindsey Lervold. He is also survived by his first wife, Donna, and his second wife, Veronica. He is now reunited with his best friends, Ole Lervold and Tom Freeman and his son-in-law, Jusdon Mounts. 

Even though Veronica and Tom divorced in the mid-2000s, she helped their daughter, Danielle, care for him until his death. In the last four months of his life, Durran moved in and helped Tom with day-to-day tasks, since he was too stubborn to let anyone else help. Tom enjoyed having Durran live with him. In the last weeks before his death, Durran drove Tom to Spokane to buy a Harley trike so he could continue doing what he loved. He rode the bike all the way back from Spokane. He took a couple of short rides. Tom’s last ride was to the OMC Clubhouse. At the time of his passing he was a Life Time Member of the Outsiders Motorcycle and had been a Union Member for 56 years. 

A memorial for Thomas E. Dykas will be held at 3 p.m. on June 2, 2026, at Calvary Cemetery. Everyone is welcome