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THOMAS WILLIAM HOLDAWAY
July 23, 1951 Feb. 21, 2017
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Tom. Dad. Little Brother. Tamahhss. No matter what name you knew him as, or called him, this man will definitely be mourned and is already missed as part of our lives. This is the life of a man we loved. Tom passed away suddenly on Tuesday evening, to the shock of all who loved and cared about him. Tom leaves behind his wife, Donna, as well as two sons; Tommy (Erica), and Will, all of Oakdale. One daughter, Lesly (Phil) as well as five grandchildren; Kayli, Jessalynn, Quentin, Leah, and Elijah, all of Waterford. He also leaves two sisters; Joyce (Terry) Harper of Riverbank, and Patsy McDowell of Murphys. Also many, many nieces and nephews. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, John and Catherine Holdaway and one brother, John “J” Holdaway. If you knew him, you knew his sometimes quiet, dry-yet warped-sense of humor. Tom was insightful as a ‘reader’ of human character. A generous heart with a low tolerance for BS. Straightforward. Strong. Real. Gentle and kind to his beloved dogs. Gentle and kind to the children of the family, who Loved Loved Loved him! Tom loved his wife, his children, his family, his friends, his animals, gambling, bargain-hunting, and technology. The given order could change depending on the day! One favorite hobby was his camera drone, another was ‘playing the slots’. Tom was the guy you went to for technology questions. He stayed current on all sorts of new devices. He was also the guy that called BS on you for trying to make something okay that really wasn’t. He made the Best ceviche. Bar none. His garden was a masterpiece. All who visited shared in the harvest. He was known to let the littlest kids of the family pick and eat at every visit. To the ocean or to the mountains, both were favorite road trips. Tom was lucky enough to retire 2½ years ago from Nestle as a Lab Technician. Before Nestle, he was employed as a warehouse worker for ConAgra, TriValley/S&W, and Gangi Brothers/Norris Industries. Work was not his life, family was his life. Thomas William Holdaway. We are blessed to have been part of your life. Until we meet again, Rest in Peace.
Celebration of life for Tom will be held on Saturday, March 4th 2017 from 11 a.m. to 2 p.m., at Jacob Myers Park in Riverbank, CA.
Come share your love, your memories, your stories, and your laughs with Tom’s family.
The Oakdale (Calif.) Leader
March 1, 2017