Thomas J. Phelps

Thomas J. Phelps peacefully passed away with his family by his side at the young age of 52.

Visitation will be held from 1:00 to 3:00 PM Friday with the funeral service immediately following at the Solon-Telford Funeral home in Streator.

Burial will be in Hillcrest Memorial Park, in Streator. Full military rites will be accorded by members of the Leslie G. Woods American Legion Post 217 and the Veterans of Foreign Wars Post 1492.

Pallbearers will be his nieces Stacy Thomas, Kayla West, Kelsey Walker, his cousin Todd Skrobus and his best friends Mark Anderson and Bob Shinkey.

Tom was born June 20, 1968 in Streator to his loving parents Donald Larry and Sarah (Blakemore) Phelps. He married his best friend, Sherry Clevenger, on May 16, 1987 with whom he has two children, Hannah and Travis, all of Streator.

Tom is also survived by his sister Karen (Devon) Weldy of Wakarusa, Indiana, several nieces and nephews all whom he loved like his own children and "daddy's baby boy" Louie the Pug.

Born and raised in Streator Tom attended local grade schools and graduated from Streator High School class of 1986. He proudly served his country in the United States Navy. He worked as a welder for 9 years at ALM and then finished his career at Vactor Manufacturing where he worked for 25 years in various positions including assembly. Tom was a former member of the Church of the Open Bible.

In his free time Tom was a very talented wood worker. He enjoyed spending time in his basement on his scroll saw creating beautiful custom pieces for his family and friends. From clocks, wooden trunks, curio cabinets to specialized wooden signs and crosses. Some of his pieces took him hundreds of hours to complete. His attention to detail was one of his many qualities.

Tom was a devoted family man. He loved his time on the water fishing and kayaking with Hannah and Travis. He and Sherry were two peas in a pod. They could always be found together either at his favorite store Bass Pro Shop or at any and all family get togethers. Tom never missed a birthday party, graduation or wedding. And you could always count on him to have his video camera there to capture all the great memories.

This wonderful man has left a permanent mark etched on our hearts and will be deeply missed by all that had the pleasure of knowing him.

Memorials may be directed to the charity of the donor's choice.

To send flowers to the family in memory of Thomas Phelps, please visit our flower store.

Visitation

Solon-Telford Funeral Home

Friday March 5th, 2021

1:00pm - 3:00pm

301 S Park St
Streator, IL 61364

Funeral Service

Solon-Telford Funeral Home

Friday March 5th, 2021

3:00pm

301 S Park St
Streator, IL 61364

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Thomas J. Phelps, please visit our floral store.