Thomas Lee Thurow, 60, of Monticello, Wisconsin, died January 13 at the University of Wisconsin Hospital in Madison following a sudden, brief illness.

Tom was born July 14, 1955, in Elgin, Illinois, to George and Laura (Freise) Thurow. He grew up in Crystal Lake, Illinois, and graduated from Crystal Lake High School. He studied Wildlife Biology at the University of Idaho, and then received a Master's degree in Zoology from Brigham Young University and his PhD in Rangeland Ecology and Management from Texas A&M University. He married Amy Purvis on May 25, 1996 in Austin, Texas, and they raised two wonderful daughters, Jane and Maria. For three decades Tom was a university professor and administrator, first at Texas A&M and then at the University of Wyoming. In 2012, he moved to a 17-acre farm in Monticello to become, as he proudly said, a "gentleman farmer."

Tom was a world-renowned naturalist, conservationist, ecologist and humanist. His expertise in forestry and watershed management was in high demand all over the world. He worked in 49 countries, from the outback in Australia and the savannahs of Africa to the plantations of India and the hillsides of Honduras -- and many other points in between, including China, Pakistan, and Iceland. He spent little time in capital cities, venturing instead to remote outposts.

Tom loved teaching and mentoring, and his students loved him. In 2012, he received the Outstanding Undergraduate Teaching Award from the Society for Range Management, a national award. Over 29 years, his teaching involved a total of 6618 student semester credit hours. His excellence in research was recognized in 1999 when he was awarded Texas A&M University International Excellence Award. Through his work, Tom bettered the lives of millions of people around the world.

Yet his professional reach was surpassed by his personal touch. He embraced all that life offered with an uncommon warmth, a generosity of spirit and a hearty laugh. He inspired family, friends, colleagues and all those he encountered, and he will continue to inspire by the examples he set and the words he spoke. His lasting wisdom ranges from the best way to approach a spitting cobra to a homily for living a grace-centered life.

Tom found wonder and beauty in the soaring flight of a hawk, the nest of a robin, the song of meadowlark. Ornithology was a lifelong passion, as were hiking, fishing and keeping up with international news. Though he was a consummate world traveler, his favorite place was always home, with Amy, Jane, Maria and their dog Max.

Tom is survived by his wife of nineteen years, Amy; his daughters, Jane and Maria; his mother, Laura; and his brother, Roger.

He was preceded in death by his father, George; and his brother (as an infant), Paul.

Funeral services will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, January 23, 2016 at St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, 427 S. Main St., Verona, WI with Pastors Kurt Billings, Peter Narum, and Chris Thurow officiating.

Relatives and friends may call from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. on Friday, January 22, 2016 at the Becker-Beal Funeral Home, 109 Greenway Cross, Belleville, WI, and from 10:00 a.m. until time of services on Saturday, January 23, 2016 at St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Verona.

In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to St. James Evangelical Lutheran Church, Verona or the International Union for Conservation of Nature.