Tommie Lee Whitfield

TOMMIE LEE WHITFIELD, 62, of Decatur, Georgia passed away on Saturday , January 21st, 2012.

Tommie Lee "Big T" Whitfield was born to the late Thomas D. Whitfield and Hattie Lee Watts in St. Louis, MO on July 3rd, 1949. He spent his formative years in St. Louis County, graduating from Kirkwood High. As a teenager he enjoyed playing basketball but most of all Tommie has always had a love for cars. He started with a model car collection as a teen and later constructed a website for performance engine building and application. He enlisted in the U.S. Air Force right after high School and served for four years.

He lived in several states including Gulfport. MS and New Orleans, LA working in the biomedical field. He was medically retired from the V.A. Medical Center in New Orleans where he served as a Bio-Med Tech.

After retirement he moved to Gulfport and joined St. Thomas Catholic Church. He was a active member in the choir and helped with maintaining records and technical support for the parish. He moved to Atlanta, GA to be closer to his children and grandchildren in 2008.

On January 21, 2012, surrounded by his children, Big T lost his battle with cancer. He is survived by three children; Tana Frances Whitfield, Jason ( Ashley) Christopher Whitfield and Thomas Anthony Whitfield all of Atlanta, GA; brothers, George Walton of San Antonio, TX, Kenneth (Lisa) Whitfield, Strongsville, OH and Mark Whitfield of Texarkana, TX; Sisters, Leslie Jones, Diana Green, Karen Colvin and Melissa (Marcus) Taylor all of St. Louis; grandchildren, Marley Gabriel, Isaac ( Jason) O'Brien, Jaisen Marie Thomas all of Atlanta, GA and a host of nieces and nephews, family and friends.

A Memorial Mass celebrating the life of Tommie "Big T" Whitfield will be held at St. Therese Catholic Church. 3521 19th Street, Gulfport, MS on Saturday, February 4th 2012 at 11:30AM.

Arrangements by Byars Funeral Home & Cremation Services, 155 Professional Park Drive, Cumming, Georgia. (678) 55-5815. Online condolences at www.byarsfuneralhome.com