Thank you so much to the students at Heritage Elementary school for making such 
beautiful wall memorials to our sweet brother Thomas Jimenez ❤️

Coach Jiminez coached both my boys and my daughter at West and was an amazing man. My boys were very good and my daughter wasn't as good but all 3 were treated equally and he celebrated each athlete whether a star or a JV kid who PR'd, he knew how to build up kids and also was quite successful in having winning teams.
He'll be missed, I personally love and appreciate what life lessons he taught and how he impacted our lives.

I knew Tom's dad Maury when he was coaching at Sprague back in the day. Tom followed dad's footsteps and became an Oly coach himself. He was my cross country coach at West Salem when I served as Athletic Director. Tom would come bouncing into our offices, most often with a smile on his face, and something funny to share with myself and our staff. He was so easy to get along with and so easy going, most of the time. But Tom also had certainly beliefs that he was not going to compromise. If you were on his team he respected you as an individual but, first and foremost you had to be a good teammate. On that he would not compromise. RIP Tom. You left your mark in all the athletes you coached and students you taught. You made our community better.

Mr. Jimenez was a great joy at work.  He cared so much for all of his kids here at school. He went out of his way to make sure everyone around him felt special.  Everyday he would come by and let all of us kitchen staff know how much we were appreciated and how thankful he was for us feeding the kids. He can never be replaced.

I taught with Thomas Jimenez for the last 2 and a half years at Heritage Elementary in Woodburn. Thomas was a caring ,kind, gentle human being who made each student fee
l special. His favorite comment when talking about a student was" that's who he or she is". He treated all people with respect and dignity. I never heard him say much of anything derogatory about anyone. I will miss our early morning conversations and planning of the day in the gym. I  miss my friend...may his memory be a blessing to his family and all who knew him. I am a better person for knowing him.

You were a fast high schooler Coach J! Miss you!

Me, Alexa and Dana got together and carried out his memorial wish! We ran for a minute and 57 secs on the Hayward Field track (his 800m PR time). He would have loved that we did it there. It meant the world that they drove down to honor him with me.

Tom Jimenez was my track coach at Sprague High school in 1993, he  always believed in me and pushed to be my best.  He was kind and had a great sense of humor and was devoted to his student athletes.  He will be missed, prayers to his family.  Thank you for so many great memories as my coach.

Lance Durham

Dear Coach J,
Although you were my cross country coach, you were also my adoptive dad, my biggest cheerleader, and someone I could always count on to be there for me.
One of the best titles I've ever held was being called your adoptive daughter. I can't even imagine how hard it was to lose your little girl after she was born, but I'm beyond honored that I could help fill that role in your life for the last 9 years. I could always talk to you about anything and you listened with intent and open arms. I'm gonna miss seeing your name pop up on my phone. I'm sad you won't get to be at my wedding one day or meet Duncan or my future children. But I am glad I got to show you the house me and Duncan are buying, and that you got to see me make a world team. 
My favorite quote from you will always be "just be you, that works for me". I still tell myself that before races when I'm nervous. I'll never forget the first time you said that to me before my first XC race in a Sprague uniform. As a young high schooler who put all her self worth into her performance, that was a life changing thing to hear a coach say to you. Thank you for telling me that before that race and every race I ran after. 
You always had so much belief in me. On days I struggled with self doubt, you would tell me "I'll believe in you on days even when you find it hard to believe in yourself". You helped me get to where I am today. You helped me get to OSU to run. You set the foundation for me to get my Nike contract. You taught me what it meant to believe in myself, and that's the most priceless gift you could give to someone. 
You have truly changed my life Coach J. I hope you know how much I love and care for you. I already miss you a ton. You are one of the most amazing people I've ever met. Thanks for being you, that has definitely worked for me. 
Love, Kaylee

OBITUARY

Thomas Daniel Jimenez

31 January, 1963 – 15 December, 2025

Virgil T Golden Funeral Service

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