Thomas "Tom" Ley

Thomas ‘Tom’ Ley, age 53 of Fridley, formerly of Melrose passed away Friday, November 13, 2020 after battling an aggressive form of cancer in Brooklyn Park, Minnesota.

A Memorial Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 10 a.m. Saturday, September 25 at St. Paul’s Catholic Church in Sauk Centre with Rev. Jim Maderak officiating. Inurnment will be in the parish cemetery.

Visitation will be from 4 to 8 p.m. Friday, September 24 at Patton-Schad Funeral Home in Sauk Centre and from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, September 25 at the church. Parish prayers will be at 4 p.m. Friday evening.

Thomas Richard Ley was born on October 1, 1967 in  Sauk Centre, Minnesota to Herbert and Dorothy (Feldewerd) Ley. He went to Holy Family School for four years and then moved with his family to New Munich and attended Sacred Heart Catholic School for four years and then attended Melrose High School. As a teenager he had a job cleaning at the Jenny-O factory after school.  Always a hard worker, another of Tom’s jobs was loading poultry for Golden Plump in Cold Spring and as a second job, he also loaded trucks for Speedy Delivery of St. Cloud. When he moved to the Cities, Tom was hired by R.R. Donnelly Printing of Maple Grove, and he worked there in the printing department for over 22 years.  Tom also worked as an Uber driver in his spare time. He was a dependable and loyal worker throughout his life. When he finally took time to pursue his own interests, Tom would head down the road on his motorcycle with his best friend, Brandon Bialke. He loved to ride and explore the beautiful countryside around Minnesota. Tom had a big heart and was a kind person. He helped out his landlord with her granddaughters and they even found time to care for stray cats and dogs and eventually get them to shelters. Tom liked to be with his work-mates and often arrived at work early in order to have time outside for a chat.

He is survived by his mother, Dorothy Ley of Melrose; two brothers, Kenneth (Cheryl) Ley of Lake Henry and Vernon Ley of Melrose; two nieces and two nephews; three great nieces and four great nephews; and his dear friends, Brandon and Rose Bialke, Claudia, Myabella, and Taveyanna Bialke, all of Minneapolis.

Tom was preceded in death by his father, Herbert and grandparents.