Obituary of Thomas Lowell Stiers

The Reverend Dr. Thomas Lowell Stiers, 84, of Boulder, CO, died peacefully at home on Tuesday, January 10th in Boulder, CO, surrounded by his family. Tom was born in Rushville, IN, on July 3, 1938 to Lowell and Louise (Malson) Stiers. Tom attended DePauw University where he majored in philosophy and minored in Greek. Tom met and married his first wife Brenda (Enmeier) there in 1961. They were married for 52 years until Brenda’s unexpected death in 2013. Although a member of Future Farmers of America and raised on a farm, Tom felt called to the ministry at an early age. He began preaching as a teen. Tom earned a Masters of Divinity from Union Theological Seminary in 1964 and a Doctorate of Ministry from Princeton Theological Seminary in 1981. Tom dedicated his life to the ministry and served many wonderful congregations. He was the associate and senior minister at the First Congregational Church of Greenwich in Old Greenwich, CT (1974-2003), and was an interim minister at The Riverside Church in New York City, NY (2004-2005, and 2007-2008); The Church of The Beatitudes in Phoenix, AZ (2005-2007); and Plymouth United Church of Christ in Seattle, WA (2009-2011). In 2011, Tom settled in Boulder, CO and enjoyed being a member of the Boulder Rotary Club. He attended the First Congregational Church of Boulder where he participated in the men’s group and volunteered on many committees. In 2017, Tom married his second wife, Judy Schilling, there. He and Judy moved to Frasier Meadows retirement center in February 2020 along with their dachshund Trudy. Tom enjoyed the loving friendships he developed in that community. Tom is survived by his wife Judy; his daughter Gretchen Stiers and wife Silvana Solano; his daughter Heather (Stiers) Dorn, husband Jonathan, and grandchildren Hadley and Abigail; his step-daughter Cathy Fluegel, husband Bryan, and sons Chris and Alex; his brother Chuck Stiers, wife Pam, and children Chris, TJ, and Carrie; and many loving family members and friends. Tom was predeceased by his parents, first wife Brenda, brother James, and sister-in-law Barbara Bunting. A Celebration of Life will be held on Monday, January 16th at 10am at the First Congregational Church of Boulder. A memorial service also will be held later on May 20th at 11:00 am this spring at the First Congregational Church of Greenwich. In lieu of flowers, please consider a contribution to the Thomas L. Stiers Scholarship Fund at Union Theological Seminary (Att: Vice President, Development and Alumni Relations; 3041 Broadway, New York, NY, 10027); the Benevolence Endowment Fund at First Congregational Church of Boulder (Att: Bookkeeper, 1128 Pine St., Boulder, CO 80302); or the Endowment Fund at First Congregational Church of Greenwich (Att: Finance Administrator, 108 Sound Beach Ave., Old Greenwich, CT, 06870).