Thomas Dale Driggs was born to Henry Harrison Driggs and Florence Barbara Beck Driggs in Sioux City, Iowa on Dec. 12, 1939. He was the eighth child out of eight children, although one of his siblings died in infancy. In 1942, Tom's mother moved to California with her five youngest children at the advice of her brother, Ed Beck, who told her that there were jobs available. Soon after, she was hired at the Pratt-Low Cannery in Santa Clara. As a single mother, Florence was determined to keep her family together. During this time, Tom's family spent the fruit season in Santa Clara in two, two-room cabins and the asparagus season in Walnut Grove, near Sacramento. Consequently, Tom changed schools twice per year. The schools would overflow with the extra students when the seasonal workers came, so they were resented and given little instruction. By the time they returned to Santa Clara, he and his sisters were always behind the other kids in class. In spite of the challenges caused by these frequent moves, Tom became accustomed to and excelled in building friendships. Everyday after school, Tom would find his neighborhood buddies and look for some excitement. He and his gang of friends continued to pal around together throughout his school career and, in 1958, Tom graduated from Lincoln high school alongside his close companions.

After high school, Tom continued his education at San Jose City College.  In the meantime, he married his high school sweetheart, Linda Feliciano, and they had five children, Steve, Ron, Bruce, Eric and Shelly. Once he was a father, Tom began his long career running printing presses. He started at Production Printing, and throughout the years worked for Valley Reproduction Service, West Valley Graphics, Western Printing, and A & E Printing. Tom and Linda were married for ten years. When their marriage ended, Tom did his best to ease the kids' transition.  He came to see Ron at his school for lunch everyday for a while, bringing him a sandwich and candy, so they could talk.

Tom was a loving father, and enjoyed many activities with his family. He took his kids picnicking to Vasona Park in Los Gatos, camping in Oregon, and canoeing on the Russian River. He kept busy attending his children's many sporting events, as their biggest fan. Tom was also an avid Raiders fan and enjoyed relaxing in front of the game.  On Thanksgiving, Tom and Bruce gathered with his old high school buddies to root for Lincoln High at the Big Bone football game against their arch-rival San Jose High. At Christmas time, Tom made a huge breakfast of dough-boys and decorated a little tree with small candies so that his kids could eat the decorations. Sometimes he and Shelly would buy a package of Flaky-Flix cookies and eat the whole package before they came home from the store, so they would not have to share with all her hungry, older brothers! In his later years, Tom enjoyed playing golf with friends and family. Some of the highlights for him was playing with Bruce at Spy Glass and Kapalua, and with Eric in Carson City.

Love came a second time for Tom when he met his wife, Mary Bellicitti, at a Parents Without Partners dance in Saratoga.  Mary enjoyed Tom's great sense of humor.  He was always laughing, joking, and having fun.  They always had a great time at the dances together. They began dating and saw each other every night but Monday, which was reserved for laundry and football! After 13 years, Tom married Mary in July 1990.  Every Friday night they frequented their favorite restaurant for dinner accompanied by Mary's parents. Tom and Mary also loved to travel together, often with friends, and enjoyed trips to Sonora, Florida, and Canada. Mary ran a daycare in their home for many years, and, after his retirement, Tom kept the children entertained with his crazy stories, endless teasing and silly joking.

In his later years, Tom enjoyed working in his garage especially on wood-working projects. He also took time to record some of his family history and compile family recipes. You could count on finding him in his garage with the door rolled up, ready to receive anyone who happened to drop by. He loved to be with people and "shoot the breeze," talking about everything and nothing. Even in his retirement, he still enjoyed spending time with his high school buddies and met for lunch with them every Tuesday. Loyal to the end, for Tom, once a friend, always a friend.

Tom passed Feb. 17, 2022 at Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose after a four year long battle with heart and kidney disease.  He is survived by his wife, Mary; his sister, Carol; his five children: Steve with Lori and their children Matt and Brianna; Ron with Linda, Linda's children Shannon and Jason, and their children and grandchildren; Bruce with Joyce; Eric with Kelley, Eric's stepson Aaron and his son Noah; and Shelly with Dave and their children Cori and Nathan; as well as Tom's step-daughters, Christine and her children Christian, Angelina, and Stephanie; Debbie with Dan, and their children, Joseph, Joshua, Sophia, and Timothy. Tom will be remembered for his welcoming attitude, his willingness to help a friend, his amusing and outlandish stories, his hilarious sense of humor, and his beautiful blue eyes.