Thomas Raymond Arriola

Thomas Raymond Arriola passed away on October 16, 2024, in St. Louis, Missouri. He was born January 12, 1945, to Joseph and Olympia Arriola. He is preceded in death by his parents, his brother Joseph "Pepe" Arriola and his twin brother Robert Arriola.

He is survived by his sister, Carmen Lola Hartsoe Arriola, son Eric Arriola, son and daughter-in-law Aaron and Candice Arriola, son Adam Arriola, his grandchildren AJ, Luca, Milena, Alex, Graham and Charlotte, and many nieces and nephews.

Tom was an exercise enthusiast who enjoyed weightlifting, long runs and frequent bike rides. He loved to tell his grandchildren stories about the challenging routes he rode and the precipitous hills he conquered. Tom was an avid collector and restorer of classic cars; a skillset he learned and developed in his dad's garage. He fondly remembered time spent with his sons working in the garage, sharing his mechanical knowledge and passing on the family tradition. He relished giving his grandchildren rides around town in his finished projects. He was always quick to help family, friends and perfect strangers with auto repairs, and he never hesitated to lend his car maintenance advice to whoever needed it. He was also a skilled artist who had an amazing ability to render just about any subject on which he chose to focus. Most notably, he had a unique ability to draw automobiles in stunning detail. He was an accomplished linguist who fluently spoke four languages, and those close to him never knew which one he was going to choose to deploy on any given encounter. Starting a conversation in one language and seamlessly transitioning to another was a signature move that gave him great amusement. Most of all, he loved and cared deeply for his family, and he was a devout believer in Jesus Christ and his Christian faith. While he would often shoehorn a lifetime's worth of his unique brand of advice into the briefest of conversations, his final message to his surrounding family was simply to love Jesus and follow God. May he rest in peace.