Thomas Dewey Strickland

Thomas Dewey Strickland of Merritt Island, FL passed away on August 23, 2026 at the age of 69. Born August 3, 1957, Thomas was a beloved husband, father, grandfather, and friend. Thomas is lovingly remembered by his wife Cheryl (Brown) Strickland, children Jacob Ellis, Krystina Strickland-Smith, and Lee Strickland, and his five grandchildren. Thomas was predeceased by his mother Margaret Lee (Barbour) Strickland, father Dewey Madison Strickland, brother David Strickland, sister Kathy (Strickland) Cox, and nephew Daniel Madison Strickland.

Thomas - known to many as Tom, Tommy, or Dewey - was born in Rockledge and grew up in Merritt Island. As a child, Tom was often seen as the class clown and always after a laugh; this continued until the day of his passing.

He attended Merritt Island High School (Class of 1975) where he met his future wife, Cheryl; however, they did not date until later because she told him he needed to mature before that could happen. After high school, Tom joined the United States Navy. The Navy promised to turn him into a man, and he promised not to let that happen - the final result was somewhere in between, a more mature man with a strong excitement for life. Tom served mainly on nuclear submarines and was proud of his time in the Navy.

The Navy did a passable enough job that upon his return, he and Cheryl began to date in the summer of 1979. Tom and Cheryl married on October 22, 1983 in Merritt Island.

Tom graduated from the University of Central Florida and Florida State University and worked as a Mechanical Quality Engineer for Boeing on behalf of NASA at the Kennedy Space Center. During his initial interview, the hiring manager asked if he “could do anything, what would it be?” True to form, he answered, “I’d steal a beer truck and throw a party for my friends.” According to his future boss, it was “the most honest answer he had ever received” to the question and he decided that was a good enough reason to hire him. What started with a joke culminated in an over 40-year career in the aerospace industry, following in his father’s footsteps.

He was a father who showed up when it counted; he attended his children’s games, pageants, and events, and he coached several youth baseball and basketball teams. He put in the work where it mattered most - into his family. He was lucky enough to live close to his five grandchildren for most of their lives, which was one of the greatest privileges of his life. Being part of their lives brought him more joy than they can possibly understand. Everyone knew Pop would never say “no” to any of his grandchildren.

Tom was a fiercely loyal friend, having many of the same close friends he had from high school. He was the bright spot of any room he was in, doing his best to bring happiness and laughter to everyone around him. He enjoyed spending time with his family, rebuilding classic cars, playing golf, and watching football. He loved all animals but especially cats. In fact, early in his life he was allergic to cats, which his family solved by telling him the cats had the majority of the votes on who gets to stay in the house. After taking allergy shots so the children could keep their cats, he overcame his allergies and later in life became the classic “dad who didn’t want a cat” to the “dad who can’t live without cats.” His kind spirit will be remembered by all and his friends and family will continue to laugh every day in his honor.

There will be a Celebration of Life for Tom on Saturday, September 26, 2026.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to The Children's Hunger Project*: https://thechildrenshungerproject.org/donate-one-time/

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