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 Tom Riley
Tom is an old friend of Whit (he calls him
“John Avery”) and owns an apple farm outside of town. He coached many of
Odyssey’s sports teams, and ably served as Odyssey’s mayor through its most
difficult times. Tom is known for his wisdom and “country sense.”
Tom Riley grew up in a farming dynasty.
For as long as he can remember, his family has been in the farming
business. Tom has lived in Odyssey for a long time. He is a
down-to-earth, simple man who enjoys the great outdoors, talking, and
taking care of everyday farm activities. For some time, Mr. Riley served
on the city council and even became mayor of Odyssey for one term. He is
best described as a man of integrity, striving for honesty in every
decision. He enjoys helping people and ministering to them.
Tom spends most of his days taking care of
his farm, complete with horses and apple orchards. As part of his
responsibilities, Tom picks the apples he has grown on his farm and
sells them to various vendors.
Although he is getting up there in years,
the kids in Odyssey are able to connect with him and develop friendships
with him. For the entire span of AIO, Tom's friendship with John Avery
Whittaker was one of laughs, adventures, and heartaches. Throughout the
series, we've seen Tom's ability to push people in the right direction.
We've seen him confront his best friend Mr. Whittaker when he is doing
the wrong thing. We've also seen him in his more argumentative moments
with Eugene Meltsner, his connection with Connie, and many other
familiar scenes.
Tom has been married twice. His first wife
bore Timothy, his son. The second, a character who has made several
appearances on the show, is Agnes. Because of Agnes' mental illness, Tom
lives alone on the farm while she stays at Hillingdale Haven. Tom's son
Timmy unfortunately died in a boating accident over twenty years ago.
The time span is not pinpointed to the very day in Odyssey time, but we
do know that it has been at least twenty years. He had a good
relationship with his son before he died, and he occasionally reads
through his son's journals to remember him.
For years, Tom had his run-ins with Dr.
Regis Blackgaard, Odyssey's frightening villain. Also, he has had a few
scrapes with Phillip Glossman, a short-lived city council member and
nemesis of the town of Odyssey. At one point, Glossman attempted
to pave a freeway through Tom's farm, but Tom fought back to stop him.
Timmy's cabin now sits as a historical landmark and is protected by law.
In more recent days, Tom decided to open a
retreat center on his farm. Named after his son Timmy, the Timothy
Center hosted various events for groups in need of a place to stay. He
allowed the Shepard family to stay on his land for some time as they
helped run the Timothy Center.
Over the years, Tom has shown his heart,
his convictions, and his character. Behind his twang dialect and corny
personality, Tom is a caring and compassionate man with a heart for the
Lord.
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