Thomas Preston Andress Jr.

Thomas Preston Andress, Jr. was born on March 22, 1935 in Wiggins, Mississippi. His mother, Thelma Andress, and father, Thomas Preston Andress Sr., were always proud of “The Boy”. Tommy was raised in Biloxi, Mississippi with his two older sisters and a younger sister. Stories have been told of his sisters agreeing to let him play with them and then abandoning him as he manned their backyard “store”.

Thomas attended Mississippi State College and earned a degree in Electrical Engineering. Upon graduation, he was hired by Hughes Aircraft Company. This took him to places overseas including France, Japan, Greenland and Panama. Tom trained newly hired engineers and later worked as a marketing manager.

While training engineers in Sherman, Texas, he was taken to a church choir practice to meet and have coffee with a young first grade teacher named Bobbie Sue. They were married less than two months after their coffee date in January 1964. Tom and Bobbie were married for 61 years.

Tom’s work was affiliated with the military and took him and his wife to many cities across the United States. They were happy to welcome their daughter, Courtney, in Boise, Idaho and their son, Christian, in Fairfax, Virginia. The 10 years that his family lived in Ridgecrest, California were some of his most treasured. His work with the engineers at China Lake Naval Weapons Center, serving his community as a member and officer of Kiwanis Club International, involvement at Emmanuel Baptist Church and raising his children there made it an extra special time in his life.

Tom retired from Hughes Aircraft Company after 31 years in Arlington, Texas. Bobbie and Tom were instrumental in creating Advocates for Special People, Inc. there in 1997. This is an organization whose goal is to offer opportunities for special needs adult children to participate in mentally and physically challenging activities with peers and the community. He also volunteered his time tutoring math students at Venture High School for many years. Tom was proud to be a member of First Baptist Church, Arlington.

He loved repairing anything and everything mechanical or electrical, relished working math homework problems with his reluctant teenage daughter and took pleasure in listening to classical music and opera.

Tom passed away peacefully on June 11, 2025 at the age of 90. His dedication to his family and plans for ensuring their wellbeing were always important to him. He also leaves a legacy of learning through the hundreds of students he tutored in math. He is survived by his wife, Bobbie, and son, Christian, of Arlington, Texas; his daughter, Courtney, and son-in-law, Alan, of McKinney, Texas; his sister, Joy Francis, of Biloxi, Mississippi; his sister, Patricia Matthews, of Yorba Linda, California; and his sister Brenda Gallegos, of Adamstown, Maryland.