Thomas William Oakley, known as Tommy by family and friends, age 37, passed away in his Harvest, AL home from a heart attack on January 2, 2024.

He was born January 9,1987 in Bowling Green, KY; the beloved son, of Curtis and Connie Oakley. Tommy loved the Lord, his family and friends, his church, his dog Rory, and the gift of life which he is now enjoying to the full in his eternal Home.

He will always be remembered as a kind, gentle, caring, fun-loving, good man. He thought before he spoke and meant his truth-filled words. He was smart and gifted with a mechanical, creative mind. So many have been blessed with handmade gifts and acts of kindness to remember him by.

His love of soccer began at age 5 as he developed into a great player on traveling teams and school soccer teams and was still enjoying playing the sport in the Huntsville city soccer league.

His growing up years were spent in Martinsburg, WV where he attended Faith Christian Academy through seventh grade. A family move took him to Crisfield, Maryland where he completed high school at Holly Grove Christian Academy, then attended Liberty University and ultimately graduated cum laude with a degree in Mechanical Engineering from the University of Alabama Huntsville in 2012 when the last family move brought him to Huntsville, AL. In recent years he has been working at Ceramic Harmony in Huntsville as CNC and Waterjet Operator.

Other passions included working on cars (always having a couple in various stages of repairing or upgrading), animals, Star Wars, gaming, and Alabama football. He devoted much time to helping children and teens develop their God-given potential through the ministries at Church of the Highlands where he served for over ten years. His servant heart and fun-loving nature will be deeply missed there by the kids and the men's groups he shared his life with.

We are confident he received God's loving welcome home proclamation: "well done, good and faithful servant. You are a beloved son in whom I and all who love you are well pleased."

In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting donations be made to Church of the Highlands or to Suncoast Bassett Rescue in his memory.

They will also be celebrating Tommy's love for Highlands church & ministries, Alabama football, and Star Wars and other fandoms. Please feel free to wear clothing representing any of these passions if you would like. If you would like to show off any of Tommy's fabulous creations he has gifted to you, there will be a table at the guest registry for items (or pictures if the item is too heavy!) for everyone to enjoy.

The family is so very touched and grateful at the outpouring of love they have received since Tommy's passing. If you would please take a moment to send a good story, fond memory, or pictures of him to TommyOakleyMemories@gmail.com, it would mean a great deal to them. They would also love pictures and stories of projects and gifts that he has made for/with you. His creativity and generosity knew no bounds - seeing how he gifted them to the world would be a blessing.

The celebration of life has been postponed to Saturday, January 18th, beginning at 1:00 PM at  Church of the Highlands in Madison, AL, due to the weather.

Berryhill Funeral Home assisted the family.