Lias, Thomas "Tom" Lee 1934-1988

LIAS, STOUTENBURG, GARRISON

Posted By: Doris Hoffman, Volunteer (email)
Date: 1/5/2013 at 14:24:51

Services held for Akron native, a government official

Thomas (Tom) Lee Lias, 54, Washington, D.C., an Akron native, died Tuesday (Dec. 27, 1988) at his home following a brief illness.

Services were held at 10:30 a.m. Tuesday (Jan. 3) at Wesley United Methodist church in Akron. The Rev. Dale Stone, pastor of United Methodist church in Hinton, officiated. Burial was in Riverside cemetery, Akron. Visitation was held Monday at Schroeder funeral home in Akron.

Pallbearers were Bud Lias, Bob Lias, Harvey Lias, Don Hummel, John Dirks and Hank Krause. Soloist Gary Tucker, sang "Abide With Me". Renee Banks was organist. Attending the service in Akron were former congressman Wiley Mayne of Sioux City, and Denzil Garrison, an Oklahoma attorney, former longtime Republican minority leader of the Oklahoma state senate and longtime friend of Tom.

Tom's mother, Besse Lias, received a condolence call from Mr. Bush Monday evening.

A memorial service will be held for Tom, Thursday, Jan. 5 at 11 a.m. in Washington, D.C. National Cathedral. A eulogy being written by President-elect George Bush will be read at this service.

Mr. Lias was born September 27, 1934, in Akron, to Earl and Besse (Stoutenburg) Lias. He graduated in 1952 from Akron high school, and in 1956 he graduated from the University of Iowa with a major in journalism. He married Sharon Garrison. He moved to Washington, D.C. and worked for the Republican Congressional Committee, which he left as campaign director. In 1968, he became a special assistant to President Richard Nixon. When George Bush was ambassador to the United Nations in 1971, Tom became executive assistant to Bush for two years. In 1973 and 1974, when George Bush was Republican National Chairman, Tom was an executive to Mr. Bush. During President Gerald Ford's term, Tom was assistant secretary of Health, Education and Welfare. In 1979, he was deputy director of
the Bush campaign. Under the Reagan years, he had been the associate director of the Action Agency, where he helped with the Vista-Job Corp and elderly programs, etc.

Survivors include his wife; a. daughter, Lisa Lias of Washington, D.C., and his mother, Besse Lias of Akron.

He was preceded in death by his father, Earl in 1937.

Akron Register Tribune
Thursday, January 5, 1989
Akron, Iowa