Thomas Eugene Dill passed at age 74 on Easter Sunday, April 4, 2021, after a courageous battle with cancer. He was surrounded by close family at his home in Silverton, Oregon.

Thomas was born to Christine D. (mother) and Thomas (father) in San Francisco, California on September 5, 1946. Raised by Christine and with the love and help of his Aunt Tina and Uncle Joe, Tommy (as he was called as a child), was an inquisitive, insightful, and intelligent boy. He was artistic and creative, and especially enjoyed writing and drawing. A keen interest was of the Civil War, and in addition to reenacting battlefield scenes with action figurines that he painted himself, he wrote an entire book on the subject, complete with illustrations and binding.

As a teenager Tom became interested in cars, and along with his best friend Jim, (they remained close friends up until Jim's passing in 2019), they worked on them together. With permission from his mom, they installed a cherry picker in her garage on Irving Street so that they could work on automobile engines (shaking the entire house!). His pride and joy was his 1965 Chevelle, acquiring it from his mother. It was with him his entire adult life, and was proudly entered in classic car show events.

He attended Redding Elementary, Peabody Middle School, Lowell High School, and San Francisco City College, where he briefly considered pre-med, choosing instead to major in history.

Tom worked briefly for the San Francisco Post Office, then hired on as a fireman with the Southern Pacific Lines Railroad in the summer of 1967. He was newly married to Christine, and expecting their first child, a girl. After a few years working out of Bayshore Yard in San Francisco and other Southern Pacific Service Divisions in California, he transferred to the Oregon Division and the family moved to Eugene, Oregon. Five years later, he transferred again, this time to the Brooklyn Yard Subdivision in Portland, Oregon. He and his wife were expecting their second child, a boy. Acquiring some acreage in Oregon City, he built a barn, grew vegetables, raised farm animals, and began what became a constant in his life - being surrounded by the serenity of nature.

Tom returned to Eugene in 1985, and began writing the first in a long-running series of Southern Pacific Lines books. Collaborating with other authors, notably Ed Austin, Jack Bowden, and Walter R. Grande, the books are invaluable historical accounts of the many branches of the Southern Pacific Lines. In addition to his career and books, his love of trains did not end there. He was also an avid model railroader; the first layout being built off his garage in Eugene in 1970. With each subsequent move, the layouts grew larger and more detailed, ultimately culminating in the replication of the Ashland, Oregon Yard, built in a dedicated room in his Silverton, Oregon home.

Tom retired from the Union Pacific Railroad (bought from Southern Pacific in 1996) in 2006. Not one to settle down into retired life, he devoted his newfound time to many interests and pursuits. Playing tennis at the Eugene Swim & Tennis Club, hiking, camping, boating, and skiing in the Pacific Northwest, model railroading, and continuing to author and co-author numerous books on the Southern Pacific Rail Divisions. He volunteered in the restoration of many steam locomotives, most notably the Southern Pacific 2579 in Klamath Falls, Oregon. And he was a member of the Liars Club in Eugene, a group of retired railroaders.

He and wife Ann Marie (a Marcola, Eugene, and Silverton School Districts teacher whom he married in 2002), moved from Eugene to Silverton to build their dream home. Soon after their arrival, Tom signed on as a volunteer at Silver Falls State Park, working in the wood shop, as a trail volunteer, and in the store. It was a peaceful place for him, and in his words, gave him pleasure to walk the trails and marvel at the falls, timber, wildlife, and fauna.

Tom and Ann Marie thoroughly enjoyed life together, taking in all that the Silverton area had to offer. They traveled extensively, especially enjoying destinations with historical significance. Family and friends were welcomed into their beautiful home, overlooking a gently sloping valley surrounded by whispering fir trees. And on those few occasions when the house wasn't bustling with the laughter of grandchildren, or the call of "Highball" emanating from the train room upstairs, you might find Tom in a rocking chair next to a magnificently blazing fire in the wood stove, with his cat Chubby curled on his lap, both blissfully content as the day was winding down to its hushed twilight.

Thomas Eugene Dill is survived by his children Jessica and Jeremiah, grandchild Jadon, first wife Christine, wife Ann Marie, her children Mike and Jeff and their families, and cousins Scott and Carole and their families.

He is preceded in death by his beloved mother, Christine V. Dill.

A funeral mass will be held on Saturday, May 15, 2021 at 1:00 p.m. Services will be private, however, we encourage you to join us by livestream at: www.facebook.com/stpaulsilvertonoregon

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Tom's honor to: Friends of Silver Falls State Park - www.friendsofsilverfalls.net 20024 Silver Falls Highway, Sublimity, Oregon 97385

-or-

Southern Pacific Historical & Technical Society- https://sphts.myshopify.com/collections/contributions

1523 Howard Access Road Suite A, Upland, California 91786

~Lovingly written by Jessica Dill