Thomas Dennis Dent, 57, of Chanhassen, Minnesota passed away on Thursday, December 3, 2015 from complications of a rare mitochondrial disorder known as MELAS.

A gathering in remembrance of Tom will be held at Jake O'Connor's, 200 Water Street, Excelsior, Minnesota on Saturday December 19, 2015 from 2:00 to 4:00. Also, a Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, January 9th from 1:00 p.m. - 4:00p.m. in the Community Room at Park Place, 1015 Elm St, Platteville, WI. Private family interment will follow at a later date.

Tom was born on April 30, 1958 in Platteville, WI, the youngest child of Thomas James & Elizabeth "Betty" Rose (Schroeder) Dent. He graduated from Cuba City High School in Cuba City, WI and from the University of Wisconsin - Platteville with a degree in Industrial Technology. While at UWP, he was a member of Sigma PI fraternity. Tom worked in Engineering, developing both toys and medical devices. While at Tonka Toys, he met his wife Wanda Larson. They were married on October 22, 1988 and again on August 8, 2003. Tom & Wanda have 3 sons, Thomas Ray, Michael John & Andrew Edward. He was so proud of the men his three sons have become.

Tom enjoyed woodworking, house projects, gardening, the outdoors - especially Boundary Waters camping, fantasy football and an avid Green Bay Packers fan. Most of all, he enjoyed his family and showed us all how to love each other completely and how to be a good person.

Tom is survived by his wife, Wanda; 3 sons: Thomas Ray and Andrew Edward all of Chanhassen, MN and Michael John of Orlando, FL; his mother, Betty Dent of Platteville, WI; 2 sisters: Patti (Gary) Casper of Poynette, WI and Donna Giellis of Cuba City, WI; nephew and godson Christopher Casper of San Francisco, CA; 2 nieces: Elizabeth (Craig) Rumpel of Black Earth, WI and Georgia (Aryn) Schrader of Maple Park, IL; a great nephew, Jace Thomas Schrader; a great niece, Charlotte Rose Rumpel; mother in-law Patty Larson of Alexandria, MN; and many other relatives and friends.

Tom is preceded in death by father Tom (Jim), brother in-law Ray Giellis, father in-law Edward Larson, and sister in-law Judy Larson.