Tom Lee Flaherty

Tom Lee Flaherty was born on Monday, July 26, 1954 to Jack and Lola (Jones) Flaherty in Indianapolis, Indiana. As a child, he and his family lived in California until he later moved to Colorado. He attended college and received his certification in semi-truck driving. In his late 20’s, Tom moved to his dream home, Montana. There he met and married Donna Harris and three sons were born to this union: Matthew, Mark, and Luke. Tom worked many jobs in his life, but he most enjoyed the ones where he could drive, be it semi-trucks or construction machinery. On May 8, 2009, Tom was united in marriage to Lela Dawn Red-Cloud in Shelby, Montana. In 2010, Tom and Lela moved to Yankton, South Dakota as Tom worked for Marquardt Transportation. Tom was a friendly and outgoing person who not only knew how to carry a conversation but to always do so in a compassionate and understanding manner. He was a devoted Christian and his faith was the greatest influence on his life. He loved fishing, photography, and talking about classic cars, such as the Shelby, ’66 Mustang, and GTO.
In 2012, Tom was diagnosed with cancer and became a resident at the Good Samaritan Society of Scotland in May 2014 to battle his discomfort. It is there that he died on Tuesday, June 3, 2014 at the age of 59 years, 10 months, and 8 days.
He is survived by his wife, Lela Flaherty of Scotland, SD; three sons: Matthew Flaherty, Mark Flaherty, and Luke and his wife, Cynthia, Flaherty; two sisters: Elaine Garza and Sue Mendez; one brother, Mike Flaherty; Donna Grant, and his dog, Jack.
He is preceded in death by his parents, Jack and Lola Flaherty.