And beautiful.
Born Nov. 3, 1955, in Harrisburg, Pa., to Thomas Sr. and Sarah, Tommy anxiously joined the family cross-country trek to Oklahoma when dad transferred to Tinker Air Force Base in 1965.
He grew of age in the 1970s, for better and worse, dug the music of the time, often amid glowing walls under the coolest black light in Del City, bringing the posters of Jimi Hendrix and Led Zeppelin and others to life for himself and an interesting cast of characters that remained close for decades.
Tom graduated from Del City High, immediately went to work and grinded away at a variety of jobs until he finally landed at Tinker in 1982, eventually following dad.
Tom was a worker. A proud and loyal worker who always took his job seriously.
And he spent 39 years on base, climbing the ranks, earning bachelor’s and master’s degrees, climbing the ranks even more, finishing his career in the Material Lead position for the Production Support Section.
His friends and co-workers at Tinker proclaimed Tom a “great supervisor, manager and friend.”
Tom enjoyed some fun, too, regularly hosting friends poolside in his backyard, grilling and smoking meats and offering frosty beverages with the blues blaring from his speakers.
He loved the Steelers and the Pokes and the Fighting Irish, to the point he’d rip off a text to “fire the coordinator,” or even the head coach, only to reach out when one of the teams pulled out a victory to say, “Great win, huh?”
Tom never had children, but cherished his nieces, Sarah and Jillian, the daughters of his younger brother John and his wife Roberta, surely earning a spot in the Uncle Hall of Fame. He was a devoted friend, too, especially around the holidays, when he’d work a path around town delivering goodies, especially his famous cheese logs – a hit at any party.
Flawed, like all of us, Tom endured his up and downs along the way. But he always loved others and served others, particularly in their time of need.
Near the end, Tom reconciled with Jesus, proclaiming it “the best day of my life.” With that, the old altar boy moved closer to an eternal life of joy with his Savior.
Tom died, May 3, 2021. He was preceded in death by parents Thomas Sr. and Sarah and older brother Charles Paul; survived by John, Roberta, Sarah, Jillian and a host of friends.
A funeral Mass is scheduled for Wednesday, May 12, at St. Philip Neri Catholic Church, 1107 Felix Place, Midwest City, OK, 73110.
May Tom rejoice in the light of the Lord.
In lieu of flowers, consider a donation to woundedwarriorproject.org, a cause Tom supported and felt strongly about.
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