Thomas Gayleon Andrews Jr. was born on September 28, 1933 in Nashville, Tennessee and passed away on Monday, December 30, 2024.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas Gayleon Andrews and Kate McNabb Andrews, and by his sisters, Beverly Penfield (Willis) and Kate Timberlake Russell.
Tom had an idyllic childhood growing up in Tuscaloosa, Alabama where his father was the Chair of the Geology Department at the university. He was introduced early to Alabama football, serving as a waterboy for the Crimson Tide in the years leading up to World War II, and never left that love behind.
Tom attended the Webb School in Bell Buckle, Tennessee and went on to the University of Alabama where he was a member of Phi Delta Theta. After graduation, he spent two years in the U.S. Army stationed at various guided missile installations within the Air Defense Command.
He had a successful career in the investment business with JC Bradford, Paine Webber and UBS, but found his true passion in helping small companies, primarily in the field of emerging medical technology. Tom was fascinated by technological innovation, and its potential for helping real people. He was a natural connector. He was motivated by a genuine desire to help others.
Tom had diverse interests and served in leadership of varied civic, professional and charitable organizations, including as the Founding Chairman of the EAR Foundation and a member of the Leadership Committee for the Peabody Kennedy Center for Children. He was on the board of the Nashville Opera, a founding member of the Nashville Repertory Theater and a member of the former Nashville Exchange Club. He was a former member of the Hillwood Presbyterian Church.
Tom was a true Gentleman. His ever-present blue sport coat and penny loafers coupled with his impeccable, traditional manners were legendary. Family remembers that in his mid-fifties, after completing a particularly difficult leaf-raking assignment from Milbrey, Tom retaliated by having a heart attack on the spot. When the paramedics arrived, his response was to spring from his chair to shake hands and thank them for coming out on a Sunday. He would have had them in for a drink if they had let him.
He was a great dancer and had a beautiful bass voice that he showcased to friends and family whenever singing might be appropriate, and often when it was not. He loved music, especially when enjoyed with friends and a Jack Daniels with just a splash of water. From classical opera to Mariachi, he loved everything, but Dixieland jazz was his great favorite. For over 25 years he was a fixture at a Sunday night live gathering of musicians and fans of traditional jazz, most recently meeting weekly at Dalt’s in Nashville. Go by and have a drink and a listen in his memory.
Tom laughed easily and often. He was a wonderful storyteller and conversationalist. He loved perpetrating a great practical joke and appreciated being on the receiving end as well. He kept through his life a wide range of friends from all over the country who he talked with regularly. Tom never met a stranger. He made lifelong connections with people he met in random encounters, such as waiting in line at restaurants.
His family was his greatest point of pride. Pop, as he was known, forged special relationships with each of his children and grandchildren. He was always interested in what was going on in their lives and how he might help them achieve their life goals.
Tom is survived by his wife of 61 years, Milbrey Waller Andrews, his children John Andrews (Katy) of Salt Lake City, Thomas G. Andrews, III (Mickie) and Susan Leschen (Elliott). He is also survived by 7 granddaughters: Whitney Andrews-Plaskon (Steven) of Jersey City, Emily Samore (Theo) of Salt Lake City, Milbrey Gardner (Alex) of Salt Lake City, Susanna Andrews of Denver, Abigail Timberlake Andrews of Milford, Connecticut, Eleanor Leschen, and Kate McNabb Leschen, and one grandson, Henry Leschen. Additionally, he is survived by many nieces and nephews.
The family would like to extend heartfelt gratitude to the caregivers who quickly became friends: the team at Heart and Soul Hospice, Denise Morris, Fredrick Prather, and in particular his dear friend Stella Martinez.
No funeral services are scheduled. There will be a visitation with the family on Sunday, January 5, from 4 to 6 p.m. at the Belle Meade Country Club in the Andrew Jackson Room. https://www.dignitymemorial.com/obituaries/nashville-tn
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