Thomas Oliver

Thomas Oliver, age 97 of Allen Park, passed away on Saturday, April 25, 2026.

Thomas was born on on August 20, 1928 in Belle Vernon, PA. The 7th of 12 children of Theresa Tiano and Antonio Oliverio.

On his 18th birthday, Thomas enlisted in the army and served over a year in Headquarters Eight Army in Yokohama, Japan. After serving in the army, Thomas went on to receive his teaching degree in Guidance and Counseling from the University of Michigan.

Until he retired, Thomas taught 36 years in the Taylor School system, the last five years as a counselor at Kennedy High School. For many years, he worked part-time as a driver education teacher for the Taylor schools and for a private company, teaching mainly in the Downriver area. Thomas enjoyed sports and played football and basketball in high school. He was a dedicated fan of the Michigan Wolverines, the Detroit Lions, and boxing bouts on television. As a young boy, his idol was the boxer, Joe Louis. During the basic training in the army, Thomas was a member of the company's boxing team.

In his retirement years, Thomas enjoyed being with his family. For several years, he wrote poetry. He never wrote any poem until one day when he said, “It just came to me.” He went on to write over 125 poems in a variety of themes, and he stopped when he thought he had written enough.

In addition to his parents, Thomas was preceded in death by several brothers: Guy, Cozy, Mark, Nick, Joe, Rudy, and Philip. As well as his sisters: Ida Krandle and Joan Hrutkay. He is survived by his beloved wife, Barbara and his two beloved daughters: Joanne (Kevin) Harris and Susanne (Mahmoud) Abu-Rus. As well as his brothers, Ted, Paul, and his sister-in-law, Jaqui..

Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm to 8:00 pm on Tuesday, April 28, 2026 at the Allen Park Chapel of the Martenson Family of Funeral Homes, 10915 Allen Rd. Allen Park, MI 48101. There will be an honor guard service at 6:30 pm. Services will conclude at the Martenson Funeral and will transported back to his hometown in Belle Vernon, PA where he will be laid to rest.