Thomas Thom Edward Sweeney Jr.

Thomas E. Sweeney Jr, 36, of Raleigh, NC, passed away on March 26, 2015. He is survived by his wife, Lauren A. Sweeney, parents Mary A. and Thomas E. Sweeney, brothers Todd Wunder and Russell Wunder, and sisters Melissa Johnston and Shannon Mason, and many nieces, nephews, aunts and uncles.

Thom (his nickname) was a manager at the Glenwood Ave. Golden Corral in Raleigh where he was greatly respected by the owner and staff.

He loved movies, games, science, all kinds of high tech, and traveling with Lauren. He was very interested in his Irish heritage and one of his highest goals was to visit Ireland one day, but unfortunately he didn't make it.

He taught himself to play the guitar and wrote dozens of songs and performed them in local venues. Fortunately for his family and friends, he recorded them on CDs and even some videos on YouTube.

In his youth, he played little league baseball, soccer, and tennis on his school's teams. He was very active in The Boy Scouts, earning nearly every merit badge available, and served on staff at Scout summer camp. As a teenager, he discovered Young Life, which helped him cope as a young Christian with a complex, secular, and often unkind world. He later served as a Young Life volunteer leader, passing on the lessons he had learned to help other teenagers and also served as a counselor at summer camp.

He was very knowledgeable about all things related to computers; all of his family relied on his expertise.

He was fun-loving, quirky in the best way, selfless, always ready to help, and always seemed to have a knowledgeable answer for every question. He was also serious and responsible in his work, with a smile and positive attitude, gracious to his customers and employees, and could always be counted on.

He graduated from Wake Tech Community College with an associates degree and transferred to NC State University and studied to become a High School Science teacher.

His death at just 36 is a terrible tragedy for all of us who knew, loved, and admired him. He will always be in our hearts.

A Memorial Service for Thom will be held at the Brown-Wynne Funeral Home, 200 SE Maynard Rd, Cary, NC 27511, on Friday, April 10, 2015, at 11AM. In lieu of flowers, the family is requesting contributions to Thom's wife, Lauren. An account has been created at Wells Fargo Bank in his name: the Thomas Edward Sweeney Jr. Memorial Fund.