Thomas L. "Tommy" Whaley

MARSHALL — "As a well spent day brings happy sleep, so life well used brings happy death." — Leonardo DaVinci —
Thomas L. Whaley, a fourth-generation native of Marshall, died peacefully in his sleep Tuesday morning at the age of 82.
He is preceded in death by his father, Paul Lamar Whaley; and his mother, Margaret Lanham Whaley.
Thomas Whaley was born in Waco, Texas, on December 20, 1929. He attended Marshall High School and, like all of his sons, was an active member of the Boy Scouts. He attended the University of Texas School of Business Administration and was a member of Phi Delta Theta Fraternity. While at UT, he joined the Naval Air Reserve and transferred to the University of North Texas, graduating in 1951. Two years later he married his beloved wife of 57 years, Patricia Pope Whaley.
Much of his time was taken up managing Logan and Whaley Co., a local industrial hardware company started by his great-grandfather. However, he was also extremely devoted to the health and welfare of the community and spent a great deal of time and energy bringing economic opportunities to the area. He was one of the original members of the Marshall Economic Development Board and, during his tenure, more Fortune 500 companies signed contracts to do business in Marshall than any other town in Harrison County. During his lifetime, he received a number of accolades and awards for his work in bringing industry to Marshall. In 1998, he received the Citizen of the Year Award by the Marshall Chamber of Commerce and the Road-Hand Award by the Texas Department of Transportation. He also received the Volunteer Industrial Developer of the Year by the Texas Industrial Development Council. In 2001, he was appointed to the Texas Department of Economic Development Governing Board. In addition, Tommy Whaley served as a member of the Wiley College Board of Trustees and was appointed by Governor George W. Bush to the Texas State Technical College Board of Trustees. For many years he remained an active member of the TSTC family.
Although Tommy Whaley was a devoted member of his community, his greatest love was his church and his family. He was a cradle-to-grave Episcopalian. More importantly, he was a devoted member of Trinity Episcopal Church and an active supporter of Trinity Episcopal School.
He is survived by his wife, Patricia Pope Whaley; his brother, Paul "Pete" Whaley; and his sons and daughters-in-law, Thomas L. and Teresea Whaley, Benjamin Pope Whaley, and George Prendergast and Annemarie Whaley. He is also survived by his many grandchildren and great-grandchildren, all of whom he loved dearly; Heather and Mitch Augustine and their children, Jolie, Sawyer and Brandon, of Elysian Fields; Starr and Russell Minatrea and their son, Dylan Thomas, of Marshall; Wesley and Chelsea McDaniel and their daughters, Ashleigh and Lilly, of Houston; Chris McDaniel of Longview; and Cas and Georgia Whaley of Thousand Oaks, California.
Visitation was held Wednesday, February 8, 2012, at Sullivan Funeral Home. Funeral services will be 10 a.m. today, February 9, 2012, at Trinity Episcopal Church with Father John Himes officiating. Interment will follow in Colonial Gardens Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to Trinity Episcopal Church, 106 N. Grove, Marshall, TX 75672; or to Trinity Episcopal School, 2905 Rosborough Springs Road, Marshall, TX 75670.
Please make condolences to the family at www.sullivan-funeralhome.com