Timothy John Smallridge

Timothy John Smallridge

Oak Ridge - Timothy John Smallridge, beloved son, brother, uncle, and friend passed away of natural causes on November 29, 2019. He leaves behind grieving parents, Carol & Bob Smallridge, siblings Cheryl & Reid Kress, and Julie & Bill Dallas, 4 nieces, 7 nephews, and special friends, Darwyn Cox, Donna Lebrecht, and Sherry Jo Brown. He will be dearly missed by all. Tim graduated from Oak Ridge High School in 1988. He was a graduate of the Regional Police Academy at Walter State and held a B.S. degree in Organizational Management from Tusculum College. He enjoyed working with several companies over the years, including: Commercial Diving for Underwater Engineering & Associates, Construction Superintendent for Saddlebrook Incorporated, Conductor for Norfolk Southern Railroad, Site Procurement Manager for Tennessee Valley Authority, Facilities Manager for Xinergy Corporation/JW Resources, and the last 5 years with Sperry Rail-Inc. Tim was also a very proud member of the United States Marine Corps, serving in Desert Storm as a Combat Engineer with an honorable discharge in 1994. His unit was the 4th Combat Engineer Battalion. His medals included the National Defense Service Medal, Combat Action Ribbon, Kuwait Liberation Medal, and Southwest Asia Service medal. While Tim was a very friendly outgoing person who could easily engage a stranger in conversation, he was at the same time, a very private person. To respect his wishes, a private celebration of life for the family will be held at a later date. Donations may be made to the Semper Fi Fund, an integrated wellness/health service for veterans (https://semperfifund.org/) or Disabled Veterans (DAV), which helps veterans navigate the challenges of life after combat (https://www.dav.org/). Honoring Tim: Tim taught those of us who loved him some beautiful lessons about life through his examples. We would like to invite you all to take some of these to heart and help us make the world a little bit brighter in his memory: always stop to help a stranger in need, never hesitate to loan or give someone something, enjoy nature at every opportunity, treat animals and humans alike with gentleness and respect, never be afraid to face your mistakes or say I'm sorry, forgive others and yourself, travel and explore the world. Remember that family is about who you choose to love--not only whose blood flows in your veins, and that we are more alike than we are different. Most of all, be fearless--no matter what burdens you carry. "Fate whispers to the warrior 'you cannot withstand the storm' and the warrior whispers back 'I am the storm.'" This was Tim's favorite quote as he believed that we are all strong enough to face whatever comes our way and that we should never give up. These words greatly comforted Tim and now they are comforting us as well. We hope they also offer you peace and hope. Online messages may be left for the family at www.martinfuneralhomeoakridge.com. Arrangements entrusted to Martin Oak Ridge Funeral Home 865-483-4341