Thomas Breuninger (June 20, 1957 - Sept 26, 2023)

We lost Thomas far too early at the age of 66 after a protracted stay in the University of Utah Hospital due to a fall and related brain injury. Even though not completely present throughout the final weeks, during his more communicative moments he charmed all of the nurses and doctors with glimmers of sweetness and wit. His husband and life partner of 28 years, Danny Grieb, and his best friend, Tricia Fullmer, were each holding a hand by his bedside when he took his last breath.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a small donation directly to the National AIDS Memorial in San Francisco’s Golden Gate Park. Even though we lost Thomas far too early, from an HIV-perspective Thomas is a rarity who thwarted HIV for over 40 years, and we are so grateful for the precious time we had with him.

Thomas was born in Provo, Utah, to Mary Donna and Edward Olin Breuninger. He grew up on a small Springville, Utah, ranch, and had fond memories of exploring the creek with a dog at his side and camping in the swanky tree house his father had built for him. He is survived by his sister, Donna Poulson, of Loma, Colorado, and many nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother, Larry Breuninger, and his sister, Janet Schofield.

Thomas was an artist and a performer. He worked primarily in oils, or, as he said, “pushing paint,” creating atmospherically moody landscapes. He got the theater bug in high school; pursued a degree in Theater Arts at Weber State University in Ogden, Utah; and traveled to his adoptive city of San Francisco in 1979 on a scholarship from American Conservatory Theater (A.C.T.). In more recent years he ventured into singing, attending Berkeley Jazz School taking classes in and performing twelve-bar blues.

Thomas spent over 30 years in his beloved San Francisco, where he prided himself on his ability to continually reinvent himself, as a Mission District clothing store owner; a Pacific Heights gardener, event planner, and Christmas tree decorator; a Buena Vista Heights medical office manager; a Castro bartender; and a Noe Valley travel agent (remember those?), among others. After a decade-plus interlude in San Luis Obispo, where Thomas grew to appreciate small-town, coastal California living, he returned to San Francisco’s Embarcadero where he spent the last 10 years in retirement, enjoying the views of the Bay and countless walks with his miniature schnauzers, Oliver (“Ollie”) first, followed by Pippin.

Thomas was happiest when he and Danny were traveling, including several multi-thousand-mile road trips throughout the western U.S. and Canada, tropical vacations to Hawaii and Puerto Vallarta, and long weekend getaways to the northern California coast. Thomas particularly loved camping in the Redwoods and thankfully never burned down a forest considering his love of an excessive campfire. Thomas and Tricia were packing the car for a trip to central and southern Utah when he fell. We hope that his last memory is the anticipation of that road trip and the laughter, joy and adventures it promised.