Thomas Preston Driver, Jr., 61, the nicest guy on Padre Island, Texas, passed away on December 17, 2021, after a short battle with Glioblastoma (brain cancer).

Thom was born on October 26, 1960, in Kingsville, Texas, to Thomas Preston Driver and Jimmie Rose Driver. Thom had a busy first year, moving to four different states before he was one year old.  The life of a Navy brat suited Thom's personality well.  Thom never met a stranger and was comfortable in any environment with anyone.  He spent many summers at his grandparents' house in Driscoll, Texas, with cousins and lifelong friends.  In the early 70's he moved to Adak, AK, with his family.  Thom was in hunting and fishing heaven.  He not only hunted caribou, he was also part of a team that dissected a whale which had died; this species of whale had not been spotted since the 1800s and was believed to be extinct.  That whale is now in the Smithsonian Institute.  After returning to Texas, Thom attended Bishop High School (class of '79).  He had an extremely high IQ; however, school was not always his top priority…Tuesday night dances, good friends, and coasting on the streets of Bishop were way more fun!  Thom was truly a Master Chef; he enjoyed making all sorts of dishes–from simple ramens to elaborate dinners for his family.

After graduating high school, Thom attended Blinn College - where he continued to be the fun-loving person we all know and love…. His Dad decided he should go to work for a while to decide what he wanted to do.  So off to Hawaii to work for their family friend Red Metcalf in construction.  As life goes, Thom matured, attended Corpus Christi State University, and earned his Bachelor of Business Administration with an emphasis in Finance.  Thom is from a family of educators; it was inevitable he would go into teaching.  He began teaching in the early 1990s.

After a few years of teaching, he joined Academy High School, a joint venture to provide a high school for the students of Santa Gertrudis ISD and Driscoll ISD.  Thom and his friend, Bill Fette, went to work for Santa Gertrudis, where they ran a computer maintenance and operations training program for their students.  Students were taught to build and maintain the computers and networking for the district of Santa Gertrudis.  Many students who went through this program, including Thom's niece Kaitlin, have made careers in the computer industry.  After leaving Santa Gertrudis, Thom joined the staff of Flour Bluff - best decision ever, as this is where he met his beloved wife, Sally.

Thom, Sally, and their girls made a busy, happy home on Padre Island.  As life settled in, a new chapter was about to open…Thomas Preston Driver, III joined the family!  Thom was such a wonderful father to all of his children.  He was patient, kind, firm, and always willing to spend time with his children.  His children were his pride and joy. Spending time with his family made him the happiest.

Thom, Sally, and Thommy are all members of the Port Aransas ISD district.  Thom was a teacher and technology director. Sally is a special education teacher, and Thommy is a 3rd grade student.  The Port Aransas ISD made it possible for this family to be together as much as possible before Thom's passing. The week of Thom's death, Port Aransas brought Thommy's 3rd grade class to Thom's back yard to sing Christmas carols to him while he was confined to his hospital bed.

In June of 2021, Thom was diagnosed with Giloblastoma.  He never complained; he gave this horrible cancer the best fight he could.  His family was always with him. Thom went to be with the Lord and his heavenly family peacefully, surrounded by his family on December 17th.  He will be dearly missed by all who knew him.  His family is comforted in knowing that Thom accepted Christ at a young age and is now with our Father in Heaven.

Thom is survived by his wife, Sally Dobbins Driver, and children Ariel Dobbins, Julia Delgado (Kassie), Robin Delgado, and Thomas Preston Driver, III.  He is also survived by his mother, Jimmie Driver; sister, Andi Kuyatt (Neal); and numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, and cousins.

Thom is preceded in death by his father, Thomas Preston Driver.

Services will be at Guardian Funeral Home , 5922 Crosstown Corpus Christi, TX on Saturday, January 8, 2022 , at 2:00 p.m.  In honor of Thom's great love for music and, in particular, Jimmy Buffett, his family requests that you wear your favorite Hawaiian Shirt to the services.

Memorials may be given to the family through American Bank @ Sally Driver ℅ American Bank 216 S. Alister St, Port Aransas, TX 78373 or to the Port Aransas Education Foundation at paidsfoundation.org/donate or you may mail check to PAEF, PO Box 95 Port Aransas, TX 78373

The family would like to extend a sincere thank you to the community of Port Aransas and a special acknowledgement to Thom's principal, David Swartwout; Superintendent, Sharon McKinney; and the PAISD staff for their support to Thom, Sally, and Thommy for the last six months.

There is a reserved seat for Thom at Island Italian–if you need a minute to sit at one of his favorite places and remember the fine man, friend, and companion he has been to all of us.  Please pray for the healing and comfort of his family; they are devastated.