Thomas F. Hale

Thomas F. Hale, 60, passed away on July 5, 2013 surrounded by his loving family. Tom is survived by his devoted wife Mary; children Shawn (Tiffany), Justin (Alison), Joshua, Kathleen and Elizabeth; grandchildren Shawn, Riley, Mason, William, and Cy; siblings Kenneth and David Hale and Cheryl Somerset. He was born in England at a US military base, where his father was stationed. Shortly after his birth, his family relocated back to the states, eventually settling in Winter Garden, Florida. After graduating from Lakeview High School, Tom served four years in the United States Air Force as a crew chief on C130 airplanes. After leaving the military, following in his father's footsteps, he was blessed with a passion for his career as a truck driver. He drove for The Martin Brower Company for 31 years, delivering to McDonald's throughout the state of Florida. During those years he won numerous truck driving competitions at both local and state levels. It was while delivering to McDonald's, Tom met Mary. They were married in December of 1988, celebrating 25 years of marriage this year. His role as a father added great meaning to his life. He enjoyed coaching his three son's baseball teams, and was thrilled to eventually have two daughters to complete his family. As a family, they looked forward to and enjoyed many vacations both here in the states and cruising the Caribbean. Tom enjoyed a variety of hobbies over the years, including model building, fishing, bowling, flying single engine planes, and eventually settling into a good game of golf. Tom and his family were long time parishioners at Saint Andrews Church. Diagnosed early this year with advanced lung cancer, he courageously battled the awful disease. Faced with a challenging prognosis, he agreed to fight the disease aggressively. He was introduced to a wonderful group of doctors, nurses, technicians, and therapists at Orlando Health. During his 7 week stay in ICU, this team, lead by Dr. Mark Vollenweider, worked daily to overcome the many obstacles he faced. We cannot express the gratitude for the wonderful personalized care and compassion Tom received. Family will receive friends on Monday, July 8th from 7-9 pm at Dobbs Funeral Home, located at 430 N. Kirkman Road, Orlando. Funeral Mass will be at Saint Andrews Catholic Church in Orlando on Tuesday, July 9th at 4pm with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers donations can be made to Fr. Andy O'Reilly, CPPS (211 Green Dolphin St., Morehead City, NC 28557) to support his preaching ministry. Tom thought the world of Fr. Andy and his work in Parish Missions. Tom lives with us in memory and will forever more.

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