Ted Tholen spent many hours of his life at the same school he had attended as a child.
For 20 years, Tholen, 44, was the volunteer athletic director at St. Louis Catholic elementary school in Englewood.
Thursday, he was killed instantly in a car accident.
Tholen, of Aurora, was headed west on East Hampden Avenue when a car driven by Christopher Bobbett of Oklahoma veered across the median, slamming into Tholen’s car, according to Tholen’s brother Tim Tholen, of Pompton Plains, N.J.
Services will be at 10 a.m. today at St. Louis Catholic Church, 3310 S. Sherman St.
“He was just a good guy,” said Tim Tholen. “It was always about the kids and teaching them sportsmanship.”
“He gave from 20 to 40 hours a week at the school,” said Linda Ferentchek, whose daughter, Kathryn, plays on the school volleyball team.
“Ted coached about six teams,” Ferentchek said.
He also revarnished the gym floor each year, took tickets at the school games and even made popcorn.
Tholen began coaching at the school when he was in high school. In 1985, he and his brother Tom Tholen, who also was a coach there, started an annual basketball tournament with area Catholic schools to raise money for kids who couldn’t afford the equipment to play on teams.
“He poured his heart out and did so much for the school,” said Tom Tholen, of Kansas City, Kan. “We just hope someone picks up the torch and carries it on.”
Ted Tholen was born in Kansas City, Kan., on Nov. 20, 1960, and his family moved to Denver when he was a child. He was in second grade during his first year at St. Louis.
He attended Mullen Catholic High School and graduated from East High School, playing sports at both schools. He earned a degree in computer science from the University of Colorado and worked in that field for a few years.
He worked for Denver Athletic Supply and later was a referee and umpire for area school ball games. He was returning from umpiring a softball game in the north Denver metro area when he was killed.
He had been at St. Louis school earlier in the day. The school honored him this past school year for his 20 years of service to St. Louis.
In addition to his brothers, he is survived by his mother, Mary Ellen Rodgers of Aurora; and two sisters, Terri Hegeman of Aurora and Tina Vander Stel of Englewood. He was preceded in death by his father, Robert Tholen.
Staff writer Virginia Culver can be reached at 303-820-1223 or vculver@denverpost.com.
