Thomas Gordon Lancaster

Tom Gordon Lancaster, 86, of Buhl, passed away June 19, 2024. He was born February 12, 1938, to Roy and Jane Lancaster of Filer. He was the 5th of 7 children, and his early life was spent with the family milking cows and pitching in on the Filer farm. He attended school at Poplar Hill and graduated from Filer High School in 1956. He joined the National Guard and served proudly as a young man.

In 1958 Tom married his high school sweetheart, Phyllis Lux. They were married 38 years and had three children, Brian, Margaret and Brad. In 1999, he married a second time to Marilyn Detrow, and they would have 24 wonderful years together, with her by his side when he passed. 

Tom was a musician who could play by ear and was proficient at the piano, accordion, and guitar. In early married life, he and his cousin Robert and wife Phyllis would play for dances, and in later life he played with the Dance with Legacy Band for senior citizens. 

Tom was a successful farmer most of his life. He was also an avid hunter, trap shooter, skier, builder, woodworker, farm mechanic, businessman, philanthropist, and politician. He was on the Filer Highway District Board of Commissioners for 8 years and was appointed to the Idaho State Highway Safety Commission. He was President of the Idaho Highway District Association, and a member of the local Highway Needs Assessment Council. Tom was Vice President of the Filer Chamber of Commerce when it formed in the early 80s. He built the Texaco station with Phyllis in Filer, along with owning the Plant Stop, and partnered with his son Brad owning the Sinclair station for a while. After retirement, he partnered with his daughter in a small business selling his woodwork art. In the mid-80s, he researched and wrote a book on the Lancaster family tree, called “Lancaster Legacies”, and donated a copy to the Filer library. Tom was an active member of the IOOF lodge in Filer and was one of the founding members of the Filer Cemetery Association that took over control of the cemetery after the IOOF lodge in Filer disbanded in the mid-90s. He was the sexton of the Filer Cemetery for 30 plus years, starting in the late 80s and finally retiring in 2019 after successfully campaigning to have a cemetery district formed. He loved the cemetery and visited often after his retirement. 

Tom Lancaster was an accomplished man who loved deeply and was well-loved in return. He will be missed by all who knew him. 

He was preceded in death by his brothers, Alan and Lee; sisters, Sue and Vivian; son, Brad; and grandson, Eryc Lancaster. 

He is survived by his wife, Marilyn; sister, Mary Lundin of Boise; brother, Sam Lancaster of Filer; sister-in-law, Rosemary (Lee) Lancaster; son, Brian (Connie) Lancaster of Twin Falls; daughter, Margaret Krasznavolgyi of Jerome; daughter-in-law, April (Brad) Lancaster of Filer; stepson, Danny Detrow of Hollister; grandchildren, Shawna (Joe) Getty, Kami (Berry) Lattin and Nate Lancaster both of Filer, Gretchen (Evan) Thomson of Buhl, and Brynna Krasznavolgyi of Ontario, Oregon; great grandchildren, Harper and Alice (Thomson), and Athena, Chevelle and Kinsley (Lattin), and Henley Getty; as well as many, many friends and relatives. 

Funeral service will be held at 1:00 pm, Friday, July 12, 2024, at Farmer Funeral Chapel, 130 9th Ave N, Buhl. Burial will conclude at the Filer Cemetery.

Memories and condolences may be shared with the family on Tom’s memorial webpage at www.farmerfuneralchapel.com.