Thomas Lee Uridge
Thomas Lee Uridge of Dimondale and Florida, former VP Ingham Medical Center. Passed away unexpectedly August 29, 2024, at the age of 83. Tom was born on August 13, 1941, at Butterworth Hospital in Grand Rapids, Michigan, the son of Laurence and Ida (Galley) Uridge. He grew up on Otilla Street, attending Elger Grade School K-2. Tom then moved to Kalamazoo around 1948 and attended Hillcrest School, grades 3-6. He got a Cushman Eagle Motorcycle, which he absolutely loved, and had a paper route delivering newspapers during 7th – 9th grade while attending South Junior High. Tom graduated from Kalamazoo Central High School in 1959.
He went to work at A&P while attending Western Michigan University. In 1961, he joined the United States Marine Corps and served both active and reserves for six years, while also attending Western Michigan. Tom graduated in 1964 with a bachelor’s in science. He then married and had two children, Leeann and Brian. After marriage, Tom worked as a process server and sold life insurance until he started working for the State of Michigan as a youth counselor for three years. He then worked at Clark Equipment in Battle Creek in Personnel, eventually transferring to Jackson Clark Equipment in Personnel and as a Safety Officer.
In 1972, he took a job as Director of Personnel at Ingham Regional Medical Center, eventually becoming one of the Vice Presidents. While working full-time at Ingham Regional Medical Center he attended and graduated from Cooley Law School with his Juris Doctorate. That degree and expertise became paramount in his position. He was a walking union while there due to his open-door policy where you could say anything without fear of reprisal. He was compassionate, feisty, gregarious, caring, charismatic, funny, and quirky with a great sense of humor. You always knew Tom was around by his hearty infectious laugh. He was also a very pointed communicator which made him ideal for his job. There was a serious and playful side to him. You always knew which face he had on! Tom was well respected because of his personality and that open-door policy. There was never a formal union during his 25-year tenure, and he was very proud of the employee relations environment he developed. He was a strong proponent of confidentiality and employee privacy and created and maintained an environment free of harassment. Tom retired in 1994 but continued working additional years at the request of the CEO.
He is survived by his children, Leeann Uridge, Brian Uridge (Sandy), granddaughter, Alex Uridge; sister Nancy Jennings; sister-in-law, Marge Uridge; and the love of his life and partner in crime Nancy Rens-Uridge. Tom was preceded in death by his parents, Laurence and Ida Uridge; brothers, Laurence “Bud” Uridge, Bruce Uridge, Robert “Bobby” James Uridge and an Infant brother; sister, Diane Bartoo, brothers-in-law, Jim Bartoo, and Howard Jennings; and sister-in-law, Susan Uridge.
A private memorial service will be held for family, and a celebration of life service at a later date. For those desiring memorial contributions may be made to the Salvation Army of Lansing, 525 N. Pennsylvania Ave, Lansing MI 48912 or City Rescue Mission of Lansing, 2216 S. Cedar St, Lansing MI 48910. Arrangements were entrusted to the Mills Funeral Home, Shelly-Odell Chapel in Eaton Rapids. To leave condolences for the family, visit our website www.millsfuneral.com.