Mr. Thomas Ray Pritchard

THOMAS RAY PRITCHARD Thomas Ray Pritchard, Born July 31, 1982 at 1225 in the afternoon (weighing 6 pounds 5 ounces), to Daniel Keith Pritchard and Christine H. Kustos spent the first several years of his life in Germany with his older brother, Christopher. Tom-tom, as he was affectionately called, was a wide-eyed and funny kid. Thomas worshiped the ground that his big brother walked on, doing anything to gain his approval. At the age of 9, Thomas moved back to the United States where he lived in Kentucky for a short time before moving to Virginia. He also spent many summers in Mississippi with his Grandparents and Aunt. Thomas was blessed to have his father, Daniel, Mother, Hye Young, and Brother, Chris to support him as he acclimated himself to the Centreville area. He attended school in Fairfax County, eventually finishing his education at Centreville High School. Shortly after finishing high school Thomas met the love of his life, Michelle Tapia, while working at a local Shell gas station together. For Thomas, it was “love at first sight”. He spent many days working hard to woo Michelle and only through his well-known persistence did he finally get that first date. It didn’t take Michelle very long to see what a kind, genuine, funny and honest person Thomas was. Thomas was so sure of his love for Michelle that he proposed they marry quickly. As with most who knew Thomas well, Michelle was thrown into his whirlwind of excitement and on December 17, 2005, after four years of dating, Thomas officially made Michelle a member of the Pritchard family. Though Thomas and Michelle never had children, they were blessed with Daisy, an energetic and loving puppy who Thomas trained, cared for and loved tremendously. Thomas enjoyed his work as a HVAC tech and it showed, Thomas worked hard to get everything right. Every detail had to be the best, just right. Thomas was that way in many areas in his life. He would spend weeks looking for just the right gift for someone, would do household repairs or cleaning with such detail that it could take hours to be just right. Thomas didn’t do anything unless he did it right. For Thomas, the world stopped when the Tennessee Titans football game started each Sunday. Thomas was in heaven with the game on, grilling a steak on a cool fall day. A smile could be found on Thomas’s face while sharing his time with friends and family. Playing softball, a competitive game of bowling, or watching one of his hundreds of movies made his day. Thomas understood the importance of family, especially while visiting Michelle’s family in Alaska. On his last trip there Thomas and Michelle caught tons of fish, enjoyed the beautiful scenery and caught up with his in-laws. He also enjoyed boating with his mom and dad at their river house this past spring, celebrating his niece, Olivia’s 6th birthday with blue crabs and birthday cake. It didn’t matter who was there, what was going on around him, Thomas made it fun. Thomas was a caring and warm-hearted man. If anyone needed anything, even if the person were a stranger, Thomas would go out of his way to help. He enjoyed seeing the joy he could bring to his family and friends, he loved to laugh and to make others laugh. He wanted those around him to smile, love each other and know that he loved them. Services for Thomas Ray Pritchard, 31, of Centreville, Virginia, who died Thursday, July 10, 2014 at 11:28am, will be held at National Funeral Home on Wednesday, July 16 at 10:00am. Ceremony will be held at 11:00am with burial at noon and reception to follow.