On Saturday, February 15th, 2020, Thomas Robert Oehlerking of Sergeant Bluff, Iowa, began the next chapter of his life. In the preceding days and weeks, with his wife, MaryAnne at his side, he prepared to say goodbye to all his friends and family.

A Celebration of Tom’s life will be 11 am Saturday, February 22, 2020 at the Community United Methodist Church in Sergeant Bluff. Visitation with the family present 5-7 pm Friday, February 21, 2020 at the church, with a prayer service at 7 pm. Arrangements have been made by Waterbury Funeral Service of Sergeant Bluff.

“To all my friends, it has been a long four years since I found out that I had stage 4 renal cell Carcinoma (Kidney Cancer). In that time, we had hopes to get better. In that time, we found things were not going to get better. The thoughts and prayers have been appreciated. In reality, time is coming fast to an end. Time is coming sooner than we hoped…”

Tom’s grand entry to life began June 29th, 1954. Before his parents could welcome him into this world, they had to make a stop at the stockyards. This was Tom’s first lesson in “work always comes first.” He was greeted by his older brother, Mark, and enjoyed the brief time spent as the “baby of the family.” That glorious time however, was short lived. Without consulting Tom, his parents decided to have another baby. This time a baby girl, named Cindy. From that point on, Tom knew his spotlight was gone forever. Just as he was adjusting to his new spot on the totem pole, a new baby brother was introduced named Jon. Being twice removed from the “baby of the family,” life was never the same for ol’ Tommy; however his beautiful head of hair made up for his new family rank.

The year was 1972 and freedom was at Tom’s finger tips. College life began at the University of South Dakota where he met lifelong friends. Together they navigated life, learning the ins and outs of college, such as drinking, smoking, and schmoozing women (which he later used to find the love of his life, more on that in a bit). Tom and his dorm room buddies decided they needed to get some culture in their lives, so naturally they joined the fraternity, Delta Sigma Pi. Whether they actually became “cultured” is neither here nor there, but they gave it a good college try.

While the fun of college may have distracted them from their studies as business majors, they all did learn one thing, and that is how to keep a good set of books. Each month they would settle up tabs on their frequently played game of Huck-a-Buck.

During Tom’s sophomore year, he gained a nickname from a slight misunderstanding from either a new friend's hearing impairment or a speech impediment by the one making Tom’s introduction. Either way, from that day forward he was known by his USD friends as, “Solar.”

After a year of working at Tractor Supply, Tom went back to the Farm to work with his Dad, Charles. He later joined by his younger brother, Jon. As you can imagine, having three different family members working together can be tough, especially when convincing Charles and Jon that Tom always had the best ideas, which of course, he did if you ask him. Eventually Tom and his younger brother Jon became business partners and worked together for over 40 years.

While some folks like to visit the local coffee shop to hangout with friends and share gossip, Tom always preferred the bar. In fact, you could find him at Max’s bar in Southern Hills Mall just about every day of the week. Every day after work, Tom would visit his friends at Max’s share stories and to find the latest gossip. One day, Tom decided he needed one of the jackets that Max’s gave out to their employees. To prove he deserved this jacket, he brought in 365 days of sequential checks he had written for every day of the year he had been there. That day he proved his worthiness and received his beloved (definitely overpriced) company jacket.

Later on, Tom found a new hangout that was much closer to home. This new spot was called

Cheers Lounge in Sergeant Bluff. Although the drinks were cold, the friends were great, and the location couldn’t be better… The best part of Tom going to Cheers was meeting his future, wonderful wife, MaryAnne. They began dating in 1999 and Tom raised her two boys starting from the ages of 9 (Austin) and 4 (Seth). Tom always liked getting a “good deal” so this 3 for 1 arrangement was right up his alley.

After Cheers closed, Tom and other Cheers regulars began visiting another bar in town called Eddie's Tavern. He and MaryAnne continued dating and after only 15 years, they finally decided to tie the knot. We like to think of this as Tom’s “free trial family” period, as he was always fond of free trials and surveys.

Throughout Tom’s life he always wanted to better himself and those around him. In effort to do so he became a member of the Shiners and a member of the Jaycees. Later, Tom and his dad, Charles, became members of the Masons, eventually moving up to the 32nd degree. Although Tom loved to share stories and gossip, he never once spilled the beans on the secrets of the Masons, despite constant pressure from his boys.

In 65 years, Tom had more fun than most had in several lifetimes. If you knew Tom, you’ll know his joy for life was contagious. If you were in his life, you were there for a reason. Unfortunately, Tom left this world sooner than we had hoped, however he left with no regrets.

Tom is survived by his wife, MaryAnne, his two boys, Austin and Seth Tonner, parents, Charles and Barbara Oehlerking of Sergeant Bluff, brother, Mark (Sue) Oehlerking of Clive, IA, sister, Cindy (Monte) Oehlerking-Wagner of Wilmington, NC, brother, Jon (Lori) Oehlerking of Sergeant Bluff, and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.

“I look forward to seeing each of you again, but for now keep in mind that I did it my way”

Memorials may be directed to the family.