Obituary of Thomas Hugh Willingham III

Thomas Hugh Willingham, III (Tommy) was born on March 5th, 1968 in Muskogee Regional Hospital to Thomas Hugh Willingham, Jr. and Rose LaVonne Snodgrass-Willingham. Tommy enjoyed a childhood with loving parents, two sisters, and three brothers. He played baseball, he loved fishing and he adored being entertained by his maternal grandmother, Mattie Snodgrass. As a teenager Thomas turned his sights to another form of play; music. A catastrophic accident forced him to become homebound. He began to teach himself to play the electric guitar. All of our family and friends suffered through the periods of horribly missed notes and a howling amplifier. But, it was not without merit because Tommy emerged as one of the most talented guitarist and singers you could ever look for. Even when he was in St. John’s Hospital (before his death) he sang one of his favorite songs perfectly; as if he was not gravely ill at all. He was lucky enough during his late 20s to open for and play with rock bands such as Guns & Roses and Alice in Chains. As he approached his late 30s the heavy metal gave way to an appreciation of all kinds of music and he became astute on the acoustic guitar as well as the electric. In addition to music, Tommy learned the skill of auto body repair. He actually fixed his sister Mary’s car without tools, using only a rope & a tree. In addition to auto body work, he also was a certified appliance repairman. But a refrigerator got the best of him and due to chronic back pain he gave up that vocation. Tommy was a master at making people laugh and feel better. Coming from a love-filled home, it was easy for him to love and show compassion for others. Once, he was in the car with Mary, his older sister, and asked her to pull over quickly. She asked why and he said he would tell her in a minute. He exited the car with his coat and quickly jogged over to a homeless man. He said a few words & put his coat on the man. He returned to the car and said, “I had two coats and he doesn’t have any.” Of all the passions that Tommy had, his love for God and his 3 year old son were the highest on his list. It was evident, too. He was one of the best fathers a child could ask for. Tommy took child-rearing classes at St. Francis to prepare for the care of Thomas Hugh Willingham, IV (TomTom) by himself. He followed every rule perfectly and his pre-mature son thrived. His love of God came about as a result of the teachings of his mother during childhood and from the love and hard work of Father Festus Maliwa. Over time, Tommy studied the Holy Bible, accepted and practiced the sacraments, prayed often and became a devout Catholic. This was an unforeseen miracle, as Thomas’ life was not to be a long one. By doing as Father Festus instructed, Tommy was unknowingly preparing himself for Heaven. He was also strengthening the faith of those around him by sharing what Father Festus Maliwa taught him. Father Festus was diligent in watching over Tommy as he is with so many people. His time with Father Festus became the greatest gift of his life because Tommy left this earthly realm on February 2nd, 2017. He was preceded in death by his parents and two brothers; Joe O’Dell of Konawa, OK and Jim O’Dell of Fort Smith, AR. His is survived by two sisters; Mary Jackson and her husband J.R. of Sapulpa and Lisa Brandt of Muskogee, as well as one brother, John Willingham and his wife Rita of Coweta and the love of his life; his son, Thomas Hugh Willingham, IV.