Thomas Christopher Lyman Lindsay

Tommy "MoneyMan" Lindsay left this earth to join his heavenly Father in Paradise on Feb. 20, 2021, after 17 years of blessing this world with love and compassion. Tommy passed away from blunt force trauma injuries sustained when the car he was driving hit an unexpected snow drift that pulled him into a ditch and eventually rolled while driving one of his favorite roads in West Billings. Two other beautiful Angels lost their lives in the accident.

Tommy was born to Todd and Melody Lindsay (Smith) on Jan. 28, 2004, at the Billings Clinic. Tommy was a junior at Billings West High School. From the very first day we met Tommy, we knew he would live life on his terms, as he was scheduled to be induced later that day but decided to make his first appearance on his time frame. Tommy's older brother, JJ, was so excited to have a best friend join the family. From an early age, Tommy and JJ bonded tightly. That bond has never and will never be broken. For 17 years, they were truly best friends. They never missed a chance to hug each other or say "I Love You" to each other. JJ has been very instrumental in helping Tommy become the man he was. Tommy literally grew up with his hero, JJ. At an early age, Tommy acquired many nicknames, but two seemed to stick. His mom lovingly called him her little monkey-man and his dad and JJ called him T-Money ... these two nicknames morphed into "MoneyMan" and stuck with him for the remainder of his years as it seemed to match his electric personality and million-dollar smile!

At age 3, Tommy began riding dirt bikes. He started racing at age 4. By the time Tommy was 12, he had won multiple Montana Cross Country series championships in three different classes. One of those years, he won every race in the series. Tommy, along with JJ, were featured in a Billings Gazette article sharing their passion and skill for racing and hill climbing. Tommy was a multi-time Great American Trophy Hillclimb Champion, along with a Billings Motorcycle Club Hillclimb Series Champion. Tommy loved his time growing up at the Billings Motorcycle Club racing Cross Country, Motocross, Supercross and even a few Flat track races. Mostly, he loved riding single track with his brother and friends, proudly displaying his race number, 430. He also worked on the hill as a footage caller and catcher at the Great American Championship Hillclimb, earning the respect of riders and catchers alike. Tommy started hunting with his dad, "Uncle (Dave) Wise," Uncle Freddy and brother JJ at an early age and quickly became an accomplished waterfowl hunter. He had a passion for late season Greenheads. On his last hunt, he was able to harvest the only Speckle Belly goose he had ever seen, a shot he stole from mentor and friend Bobby Wise. Tommy was also an accomplished bow hunter, harvesting five white-tailed deer with his bow before his 15th birthday, all on the Chuck Gainan ranch, a place dear to his heart. All the riding, racing and hunting took a back seat when Tommy got to high school and dedicated himself to being a West High Golden Bear. From an early age, Tommy wanted nothing more than to be a football player for West High. He put everything he had into his team, his teammates and his coaches. He was a three-year letterman for Billings West Golden Bear Football. Although his career was littered with injuries and setbacks, his determination and commitment never relented. He continued to push and cheer for his team.  He was always ready to do whatever it took to get back on the field. He was a natural leader and people were drawn to him. He loved nothing more than recently leading Golden Bear workouts. He was very excited for his senior season. Tommy proudly wore the jersey number 12 that JJ had also worn.

In addition to football and outdoor activities, Tommy shared a special bond with his mother, Melody. Together, they spent hours shopping for shoes, designer jeans and hoodies. Tommy loved shoes and clothes. Melody could never say no to Tommy when he wanted another hoodie, pair of shoes or bracelet. Many mornings, Tommy would wake up wearing the hoodie he was wearing the night before. Melody and Tommy had no secrets, and they could talk about anything. Tommy shared his innermost secrets with his mom. In 2010, Tommy was blessed with a Bonus Mom, Kellie Lindsay. Kellie and Tommy connected with each other right away. In elementary school, Tommy wrote a paper about his two moms. Kellie and Tommy shared a very personal connection and had many jokes that were just between them. Every time Kellie hit a red light, she would blame Tommy, because it always happened more when he was in the car. I think he just wanted more one-on-one time with her. In 2015, Tommy's bonus dad, Tom Smith, joined the family. Tom and Tommy had an immediate connection that was all things "guys." They had a very open and unique relationship, where they could share "guy" stories and jokes, watch football and just "shoot the breeze." Tom's love for Tommy has never wavered. Tommy was blessed to have four parents who love him very much. Tommy was also blessed later in life with brother Robbie. Robbie and Tommy had so many things in common and Tommy immediately looked up to him. Robbie was able to instill his amazing sense of humor in Tommy.

On top of all these activities, Tommy somehow found time to reach out and help anyone who needed it. We knew Tommy was a good, caring friend, but we had no idea the extent of his loving reach. This is what we are most proud of. The hundreds of messages sent to us by kids just reaching out to tell us how much Tommy meant to them. Many of these kids we had not even met. Tommy's love and compassion for his fellow humans was something to behold. He did not care if you were popular, cool, rich, good-looking, what race you were, what religion you were or if you played sports. None of that mattered to him. He just wanted to help everyone.

Tommy was preceded in death by his "Grand-mama" Betty Lindsay; and his twin nieces Aiden and Brooke Erhardt-Lindsay. He is survived by his parents, Todd and Kellie Lindsay and parents Tom and Melody Smith (Lindsay); brothers JJ Lindsay and Robbie (Maja) Lindsay; stepbrothers Brock Smith, Brady Smith and stepsister Madison French; grandparents Tom and Linda Molyneaux; grandparents Ed and Peg Kraft and "Aunt T" - Tanya Molyneaux, all of Billings; "Uncle Freddy" - Shayne (Jan) Lindsay of Lincoln; "Aunt Sis" - Cyndi Lindsay of Helena; and grandparents Reggie (Ann) Lindsay of Townsend. Tommy is also survived by his beloved Melanie, whom he cared for deeply. Best friend Zac Malcolm survived the accident, and we are so glad he is still with us. We love you, Zac.

A celebration of Tommy's life will be at 10 a.m. Saturday, Feb. 27, at Faith Chapel (Main Chapel), 517 Shiloh Road in Billings. The service will also be streamed via Internet,

https://boxcast.tv/view/tommy-lindsay-memorial-ouqdhby40n9rrkd2ocwh. The broadcast is scheduled to begin 30 minutes before the service (at 9:30am) on 2/27. Please wear your favorite hoodie (hooded sweatshirt) and jeans/sweatpants/joggers.

In lieu of flowers or personal donations, please consider a donation to youth suicide prevention at JJ's request, youth counseling or Faith Chapel.

MoneyMan, we know that God must have needed you more than we did. We trust in Him. Please keep touching lives and watch over your friends, teammates and coaches. They really need you right now. You were an amazing human being with a deep passion for loving and helping others. I am so proud of the extraordinary man you had become. You lived more life in 17 years and 3 weeks than most people do in a lifetime! Thank you for allowing us a front row seat in one of the most legendary lives ever lived. Bandit is sleeping in your bed as I write this, patiently waiting for you to come home. We love you, kid. #12strong