Thomas Ellis Albright, 74, of Ottawa passed away Saturday, May 1, 2021 at OSF St. Elizabeth Medical Center.
A celebration of Tom’s life will be held at a later date. Ottawa Funeral Home & Crematory has been entrusted with arrangements.
Tom was born January 19, 1947 in Blue Island, IL to Charles Ellis and Rosemary (Carlson) Albright. He grew up in Tinley Park and always called it home. He played high school football and graduated from Tinley Park High School in 1965. He attended college at Michigan Tech for 2 years until he joined the United States Airforce, serving during the Vietnam War.
On January 8, 1974, he married Lillian “Cookie” Doty in Crown Point, Indiana, and together they spent 47 wonderful years.
Tom worked for the Village of Tinley Park for over 30 years before retiring as Director of Public Works. Most nights you would find Tom tinkering in the garage and playing with the kids in the yard. He spent his younger days with his family coaching sports teams, jumping in the pool, at the race track, and taking vacations. Tom was a true family-man and was always there to provide for them.
Tom had a strong spiritual faith. He taught Sunday school and even was a part of Soldiers for Jesus in Streator. He would pray for you any time, any place. He had a big heart and he was very generous. He was an amazing provider and an endearing father. He had a great sense of humor and loved to make people laugh. Tom truly saw you for who you were; he let you make your own mistakes, but most importantly he never let you fall.
He is survived by his wife, Cookie; three children, Nora (Chris) Boen of Ottawa, Erin Bowman of Minooka, and Ellis (Robin) Albright of Tinley Park; eleven grandchildren, Kyla, Wiley, Lillian, Selah, Cooper, Hayden, Jameson, Ellis Jr., Jessie, David, and Angel; his sister, Diane Albright; and his brother, Charles Ellis (Rose) Albright. He was preceded in death by his parents and one sister, Alice Hopman.
He was laid to rest at Oakwood Memorial Park in the Garden of Prayer.