Thomas H. Willey

Thomas H. Willey, Jr., 90, passed away peacefully at home in Bronson, FL, on Tuesday, Jan. 31 2023. He was surrounded by his four children and wife of 44 years. Tom was predeceased by his parents, Thomas H. Willey, Sr. and Mabel Bailey Willey; his first wife, Emma Ruth Willey; daughter, Alicia Willey; an infant son; and an infant granddaughter, Margaret Jane Hinson. He leaves behind his wife, Ethel H. Willey; children, Kathleen (Mark), Thomas (Alana), Elsbeth (Brian), and Laura (William); eight grandchildren, Anna, Lauren, Ryan, Megan, Maxwell, Wyatt, Isaac and Nina; a sister, Barbara (John); and many nieces and nephews.

Throughout his long life of service, whether at home or in the far reaches of the globe, the one constant that inspired his work was his deep love of Jesus.

Tom was born in High Point, NC on July 13, 1932. His parents were Free Will Baptist missionaries who served in Panama and later Cuba when he was a small child. At 13, Tom fell and was impaled on a wrought iron gate. The fall caused severe injuries and sliced through his jugular vein. At one point, Tom had lost so much blood that his medical team had to recruit blood from the inebriated homeless on the streets of Havana, who, for a fee, were willing to give their blood. As an adult, he would recount how he’d lost all of his blood, and it was replaced with the blood of the most humble of all Cubans. Through a multitude of miracles, and against all odds, Tom survived. Cubans in the area still call it "Tommy's Gate," although most have no idea who Tommy was.

Growing up, Tom attended boarding schools in the United States. He graduated from Free Will Baptist Bible College, Nashville, Tenn. with a Bachelor’s degree in English Literature. Tom married Emma Ruth in 1955 and taught in the seminary that his parents founded in Cuba. While the couple was taking a trip to the U.S. in late 1960, U.S.-backed exiles undertook the ill-fated Bay of Pigs invasion. Cuban friends, fearing for their safety, urged them not to return. The family left behind all that they had; friends buried mementos in a teak box to keep them safe from Cuban revolutionary forces.

In 1962, the young family moved to Panama, where they continued to work serving the people with humility, grace, and the love of Christ. Tom served as a missionary there until 1975, both in rural areas as a bush pilot and in Panama City. During those years in Panama, Tom suffered a series of tragic losses, including his father, teenage daughter, and cherished wife.

After moving back to the U.S. with his two young children, Tom earned a Master's degree in Bible from Columbia International University, Columbia, S.C. in 1976. In 1978, Tom married Ethel Holton, who had been working as a personal assistant to his mother, Mabel, in Panama.

Tom and Ethel settled in Miami, where he worked as the Executive Director of the Miami office of World Relief, the humanitarian branch of the National Association of Evangelicals. During his tenure, 15,000 people in South Florida were helped with immigration and resettlement. In addition to settling refugees in Miami, he served in disaster relief in Central and South America. From the Mariel boatlift to the 1985 Mexico City earthquake to Hurricanes Andrew, Mitch, and Georges, for three decades Tom served the people of South Florida, Latin America, and the Caribbean with love, humor, and humility.

After retiring from his work in Miami in 2003, Tom and Ethel moved to Bronson, FL, where they were active in Levy County CERT (Community Emergency Response Team).

Services will be held at Iglesia Bautista Libre Ebenezer, 4111 SW 4 Street, Miami, FL, 33134 on Monday, Feb. 6, 2023 with a visitation at 11:30 a.m. and funeral at 12:30 p.m. A graveside service and burial will follow at 2 p.m. at Caballero Rivero Woodlawn North Park Cemetery and Mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to Free Will Baptist International Missions at iminc.org/give/ or Haven Hospice at beyourhaven.org/donate.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.riverofuneralhomemiami.com for the Willey family.