Thomas James Synnott

Thomas James Synnott, 73, passed away peacefully on October 22, 2014 surrounded by his family. Tom was born in Janesville, Wisconsin on April 24, 1941 and raised on a dairy farm with his sister Alice. After years of farm life, Tom opted for a life outside of milking cows and went to work for General Motors. He ultimately decided to pursue his education and received his undergraduate degree at the University of Wisconsin - Platteville, and his Master's degree at the University of Wisconsin - Superior. A civil rights activist, Tom traveled to the South where he marched with the Rev. Martin Luther King, Jr. In 1968, Tom married his soul mate Joyce and the two of them moved to Huntington Beach, California where they both taught. In 1970, Tom and Joyce moved to Denver where Tom received his doctorate in curriculum from the University of Northern Colorado. In 1972, their first daughter Kimberly was born and they relocated to Rifle, Colorado where Tom was a principal. As a principal on the Western Slope, he made waves as he lifted the bans of segregation and permitted women in his school to share the same break room as men. In 1975, their second daughter, Tiffanie, was born and the family relocated to Kenosha, Wisconsin where he worked at Ruther Alternative High School as a principal. While in Kenosha, he made headlines when he created a daycare within his high school so teen parents could stay in school. This national attention earned him a guest appearance on the Phil Donahue show. In 1984, Tom relocated his family to Centennial, Colorado where his third daughter, Christine, was born. While in Colorado, Tom worked as a principal of Colorado's Finest Alternative High School. Through Tom's love and hard work, the Colorado State Board of Education recognized the school as a School of Excellence in 1992. In 1994, the school was selected the ""Best Alternative School"" in Colorado by Westword. Also in 1994, the school was recognized in Redbook Magazine as one of the top 134 schools in the nation. Tom later took his talents to Englewood High School and then went onto be the principal of the nationally recognized D'Evelyn High School in Jefferson County. He finished his career as a principal when he was hired to take the helm at Hinkley High School in Aurora. After ""semi-retiring"" from Hinkley, Tom spearheaded and grew a homeschool program, Aurora Options, for Aurora Public Schools where he served as the director and principal. As a result of his vision, Tom grew the program from twenty students with one site location to several thousand students at multiple locations across the Front Range and state. In 2009, Tom received the Principal Superintendent Award for his leadership and was recognized as an outstanding principal. After thirty years as an educator and principal, Tom ultimately retired. Even after retirement, Tom regularly received letters and Facebook postings from former students whose lives had been touched and changed for the better by him. Tom was known for his love for life and family. If he wasn't attending one of his daughter's activities—and later grandchildren's, he was reading, participating in Rotary, skiing, golfing, and traveling. He was president of two Rotary Clubs. He loved spending time at his condos in Winter Park, Colorado and Mazatlan, Mexico where he marveled at the mountains and the sunsets. Most of all, he relished his time traveling with Joyce and being surrounded by his family. His wife, Joyce, three daughters, Kimberly, Tiffanie, and Christine, and nine grandchildren survive Thomas. His sister Alice, niece and nephews, also survive him. A Memorial Service celebrating Tom's life will be held Sunday, October 26, 2014 at 4:00-6:00pm at Horan & McConaty, 5303 E. County Line Road, Centennial, CO. A Funeral Mass will be held Monday, October 27, 2014 at 11:00 am at St. Michael's Catholic Church, 19099 E. Floyd Ave, Aurora, CO. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Aurora Public Schools / Aurora Options for the Dr. Tom Synnott Scholarship established to assist graduating students with higher education. Please make donations to: Options Synnott Scholarship, 11351 E. Montview Blvd., Aurora, Colorado 80010 or make a donation at http://educateaurora.com/donate In order to donate on line, click on the link, make a monetary selection and enter your contact information. On the right hand side of the contact information page, please state the donation is in memory of Tom Synnott and indicate that the use of your gift be used for the Options Synnott Scholarship. Please share your memories of Tom and condolences with his family by signing the guestbook below.