Tom Sheahan

Tom Sheahan, born in Topeka, Kansas, January 30, 1947, went to be with our Lord and Savior June 6, 2025, at the age of 78. He had a generous heart, a ready fishing pole, and a beloved way with words. His early love of basketball propelled him to fame at Hayden High School (1965). He earned an engineering degree from the University of Kansas (1970), and his girls loved to tell friends that while in college their dad invented the machine that glued googly eyes on cards at Hallmark. He worked many years for Humble Oil Company (later Exxon and then ExxonMobil) in the Baton Rouge refinery, Baytown refinery, and Houston headquarters, where he wrote international contracts before retiring in 2003.

Through the years, he spent many early morning hours and weekends hunting ducks in God’s amazing world. He often sat in awe of the view on the lake that was his home after retirement. He also added his own beauty to this world, whether gracefully boot-scooting across the dance floor with his wife of 55 years, entertaining Sunday School kids with a guitar and a puppet, or baiting all three hooks of his daughters’ fishing lines at once. Serving his church and community was as natural for him as hunting and fishing. He always lent a hand and met a need, whether as a youth counselor, usher, trustee, or teaching a Bible study. He had a passion for helping people with their homes and received the Volunteer Spirit Award for working with “Rebuilding Houston Together.” He also served for years with Carpenter’s Helpers and as the Camp Director for UMARMY. He entertained us with his stories and poems and had an impact on everyone he met—caring deeply for even the small creatures, like Hank the heron.

Tom is preceded in death by his father William F. Sheahan, Jr., his mother Doris Jean Sheahan Macferran, and stepfather Sewall Macferran of Topeka, Kansas. Left to cherish his memory are his wife, Janet Sheahan in Montgomery, Texas; three daughters and their husbands—Deborah and Steve Velzis, Laura and Doug Hinton, and Kelli and John Sallman; and eight beloved grandchildren—Gage, Brett, and Jackie Velzis; Jeremy and Makayla Hinton; and Rachel, Benjamin, and Luke Sallman.

He is also survived by siblings Bill Sheahan (Marsha), Kathy Clark (Ted), Barb Hinton (Ron), Martha Cofran (Tom), Jenny Burghart (Chris), and Fran Macferran.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations sent to Sat 7 (sat7usa.org), Star of Hope Mission (sohmission.org), or the Gary Sinese Foundation (garysinisefoundation.org).

A celebration of life will be held July 11, 2025, 11:00 a.m., at The Woodlands Methodist Church in The Woodlands, Texas.

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Celebration of Life Service Details for Tom Sheahan

Date: Friday, July 11, 2025

Time: 11:00 a.m.

Location: The Woodlands Methodist Church, in the Robb Chapel

2200 Lake Woodlands Dr., The Woodlands, TX 77380

A small lunch reception will take place in the room adjacent to the chapel (Jones Library) at noon after the service, providing an opportunity to come together and share memories.

Parking and finding the Robb Chapel. The Woodlands Methodist Church is a large, multibuilding campus not far off of I-45. Robb Chapel is inside the main building.

From the north on I-45, take exit 77 toward Research Forest Dr., Tamina Rd. Go straight through the stop light and stay in the right lane. Turn right on Lake Woodlands Drive. The front entrance to the church is about 1.2 miles, just past Grogans Mill Rd, on the right.

From the south on I-45, take exit 77 toward Lake Woodlands Drive, Research Forest Drive (clover leaf). Take a slight right turn onto Lake Woodlands Drive. The front entrance to the church is about 1.4 miles, just past Grogans Mill Rd, on the right.

Park in parking lots B, D, C, and E (see map links below) and look for entrance 4 or Main Entrance 1. The Robb Chapel is toward the back and left from there, past Entrance 8 on the parking map. (If you need handicap parking, parking lot A has several close to Entrance 8 .)

Go to https://thewoodlandsmethodist.org/venues for parking and building maps.

Live Stream Details

We hope you can join us. But we also understand how difficult and expensive travel can be and the many conflicts that arise. The service will be live streamed so you can join us from wherever you are.

The live stream will go live at 10:55 a.m. July 11 at https://control.resi.io/webplayer/video.html?id=1af0ff20-5cb8-4c8f-89d4-a1a5e5bf73b3 . Please contact Laura Hinton at [email protected] with questions.

Lodging and Travel

Airports. The George Bush Intercontinental Airport (IAH) is the closest to the venue and nearby hotels. Be aware that Hobby Airport (HOU) can sometimes have cheaper tickets, which is great, but it is much further south and usually requires driving in slow, heavy traffic. If we are helping with transportation, we would prefer you use IAH.

Hotels. The church is close-ish to Laura’s house and about an hour from Janet’s. It is also more conveniently located near hotels and the airport.

We suggest looking for hotels off of I-45 in either Conroe, The Woodlands, or Spring, north of 99 (a tollway). Please avoid searching for “Houston.” A Travelocity search for “The Woodlands” currently brings up several places with high ratings and prices in the $100–130/night range. The Spring Woods Marketplace area could be a convenient place to look—all new construction area with easy access to food.

If you need help with lodging or other traveling and transportation logistics, please contact Deborah Velzis at [email protected].