Tom Herring's Obituary
Joseph Thomas Herring. Jr. (Tom) passed away peacefully on August 13, 2023 following a brief illness. Tom was born July 17, 1958 to parents Joe and Martha Herring of Whigham, GA who preceded him in death. He is survived by his wife, Janie Sandy, sister and brother-in-law, Rose and Sergio Salinas, nieces Tania and Savannah, nephew Cristian, and great niece and nephew Adriana and Benson.
Tom was a graduate of Whigham High School where he graduated in the top of his class. He received a Bachelor’s degree in Philosophy from Valdosta State College and a Master’s degree in Public Administration from Florida State University.
How does one condense such a well loved and lived life into a few small paragraphs? If you were fortunate enough to know Tom, you knew what southerners mean when they use the term “good people”, because that’s exactly what Tom was. He was a gentle giant with a heart of gold and a true southern gentleman.
Tom loved his family and friends. Tom found the love of his life, Janie, and he spent the happiest years of his life together with her and their fur babies, Lily, Tibby, and Boy He loved his sister Rose, with whom he shared a love of music and literature that led them on many fun adventures together. Tom was also close to his nieces and nephew and was always present to celebrate birthdays, achievements, and other family events both special and ordinary. Tom made many friends through college and work and he maintained those friendships throughout the years, traveling to shows and visiting friends whenever he had the opportunity.
Tom loved his work. Tom worked with the Florida Department of Health for almost 40 years and developed many relationships during that time. Tom was originally recruited from the Hillsborough County Health Department to move to Tallahassee in the late 1980s to help lead the effort to automate business processes in the CHDs. Many monumental initiatives were accomplished under his leadership, including the creation of the Health Management System (HMS), and obtaining Federal Electronic Health Record Certification of HMS. His expertise in these areas went beyond the state of Florida and he was nationally known as an expert in health records and informatics.
Tom loved music and literature. Tom had a lifelong love of music from an early age. While he never played an instrument of his own, he had an encyclopedic knowledge of music that would rival any professional music critic. He loved music of all types, and especially loved attending concerts and live music events. He will be remembered by those who knew him for his skill at quoting just the right lyrics when responding to various people and situations. He also had a love for reading and literature, and could converse with anyone on almost any topic. If you ever had the opportunity to travel with Tom, no matter where you went, he always knew a neat record shop or indie bookstore to stop at along the way.
Tom loved life. He loved nature and enjoyed being outdoors. He had a love for animals and animals loved him. He never met a stranger and would strike up a conversation with anyone anywhere. He always made people feel at ease and he treated everyone with respect. He loved learning new things, meeting new people, and exploring new places.
He will be remembered by his warm smile that could light up a room, his great intelligence, his sharp sense of humor, and his kind and gentle heart.
Services will be held on Friday, August 25, 2023 at Calvary Methodist Church, 4581 Old 179 S., Calvary, GA. Visitation will be from 10:00-10:45 AM in the sanctuary with the service following at 11:00 AM. (Note: If using GPS, the address may show up as Whigham. GA, but the church is in Calvary).
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom’s memory to one of his favorite charities, Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary, https://ofsds.org/
“The song has ended but the melody lingers on.”
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