Thomas Jackson Terrell

Thomas Jackson Terrell was born April 22, 1925 in Prentiss, MS. Raised on a farm, he reveled in the company of his two brothers, Joe and Roy. He was married to the love of his life, Mamie Haddon, for 47 years.

His memory will be kept alive by their two daughters, Mary Ellen Terrell and Joanne Upton of Mobile; his son-in-law David Upton; two grandchildren, Brian and Whitney Upton; and his brother, Roy Terrell of McGee, MS; along with a host of other family and friends.

Tom is preceded in death by his wife, his parents Maude and Percy Terrell, and his brother Joe Terrell.

In 1943, he was drafted into the US Army. After basic training he was assigned to the Army Specialized Training Program at UCLA. He was assigned to the 89th Infantry Division and in early 1945 was sent to Europe where the Division spearheaded Patton’s 3rd Army from Luxembourg to Czechoslovakia. Tom was discharged in June 1946. Upon returning home, he attended Springhill College and the University of Alabama, graduating at the top of his class as a civil engineer.

Tom went to work when he was a sophomore in college with J.B. Converse & Co. Inc. and remained with the firm for 45 years. He was named Engineer of the Year in Mobile in 1985 and in 1986 by the Alabama Society of Professional Engineers. A few of the projects he worked on in the Mobile area are: Big Creek Dam; the Alabama State Docks; USS Alabama Battleship Park; Interstate 65; and other various projects in Mississippi, Alabama and Florida. He was a member of the Serra Club, many engineering societies, and a long-time member of Heron Lakes Country Club. His position, when he retired in 1993, was Executive Vice President of BCM Engineers. He followed his retirement by volunteering over 5,000 hours at Providence hospital over 12 years.

Along with playing hundreds of games of golf and bridge, Tom was an avid Braves and Crimson Tide fan. He could always be found in his jumpsuit tinkering around the workshop or digging up the yard.

Visitation will be held at Radney Funeral Home on Monday, August 20, 2012 from 5:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m., with rosary at 7:00. The funeral Mass is 11:00 a.m. on Tuesday, August 21, 2012 at St. Dominic Church on Burma Rd, with interment at Mobile Memorial Gardens.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to the Msgr. Murphy Fund for Education or the Calle Real Fund (St. Dominic Church, 4156 Burma Rd., 36693), or a charity of your choice.

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