Mr. Tommy “Tom” Dean Boals, 86, of Morrison, Tennessee went on to be with the Lord on Monday, May 6, 2024. He was born in Humboldt, Tennessee on Sunday, December 12, 1937. Preceding him in death were his father, John Garner Boals; mother, Ruth (Vaughn) Nichols; brother, Harry Lee Boals; and sister, Patricia Nell Smith.
He is survived by his wife of 64 years, Charlotte Smith Boals of Morrison; daughter, Cindy (Barry) Anderson of Morrison; son, Craig (Stori) Boals of Beech Grove; grandchildren, Tommi Lynn Boals, Mason Craig Boals, and William LD Anderson. There are also several cousins surviving.
Graduating from high school, Tom soon after answered his Nation’s call and joined the U.S. Air Force. Active during the timeframe of the Korean War, his service could have looked very different, but God had different plans for Tom. Sewart Air Force Base in Smyrna, Tennessee became his home for his 4 years of active duty, and it was while he was there that a friend picked at him about this girl Tom just had to meet.
“You’ll marry her if you meet her,” was the phrase used to rile up Tom, which he would quickly reply, “No.” But this mystery girl had peaked his interest, so Tom agreed to go out on a blind date in Nashville. Charlotte, the mystery girl, with her friend encouraging her to go made the request that her date bring someone for her “sister” to date. It was a brisk February day, and Tom and Charlotte hit it right off the bat. Charlotte’s “sister” and her date? Not so much.
Meeting in February, Tom changed his original tune and married Charlotte that same year on September 12, 1959. Charlotte was working for the West End Duchess Hair Salon at the time. During that time, Tom reached the end of his enlistment, and with the potential of getting shipped off very likely, he decided to get out and be a family man, beginning his 6 years serving in the Reserves.
It was 1962, and Tom and Charlotte brought their baby girl, Cindy, into the world. Aiming to be the provider for his family, Tom was working and going to school to be an accountant, but it became too much with a wife and new baby, so he changed his plan to better suit his family. In 1963, Tom and Charlotte brought their baby boy, Craig, into the world. Tom ensured that Charlotte never had to work so that she could stay home with the kids. Over the years, he worked in several different capacities.
From working in collections for General Motors in North Carolina, Tom did what was necessary for his family. General Motors recognized Tom’s work ethics and moved him up the chain into a management position. Working for General Motors kept things interesting for the Boals family. It was when General Motors decided they wanted to move Tom to New York City that the Boals family decided to split ties and head back to Tennessee. After moving back to Tennessee and running the Valley View Market, Tom went on to work for Chevrolet dealerships in the Nashville area.
Even though they enjoyed their time in North Carolina, it just wasn’t home, but they did bring a little bit of home with them. Before the kids, Tom and Charlotte would go to Percy Warner Park and drive around or go to movies. If they really wanted to spend time together, they made sure they got out of town and would drive to Alamo, Tennessee to visit Tom’s brother and family. Wherever they went, Tom and Charlotte made sure the kids grew up making lasting memories. Tom did eventually return to work with General Motors through Chevrolet doing fleet sales for the last several years.
Before he left work, he made sure the house was paid off, Cindy was through college, and his family was taken care of financially. The protector and provider in him came from his deep-rooted beliefs in the Bible and taking the role as the head of household seriously. He and Charlotte were members of the Stewart’s Creek Church of Christ in Smyrna for about 40 years, and then the McMahan Church of Christ for about 7 years. They showed their children what it meant to love and respect your spouse as sweethearts for those 64 years together.
Graveside services will be Thursday, May 9, 2024 at 2 pm at McMahan Cemetery. Bro. Jeff McMahan will officiate with two additional speakers Norman Pelham and Alan Vick who is an elder at Stewart’s Creek Church of Christ.
Pallbearers will be Craig Boals, Mason Boals, Barry Anderson, and Will Anderson.
Honorary pallbearer will be David Loften.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to (McMahan Church of Christ OR McMahan Cemetery Trust Fund).
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