Tom Lynn Paxton

Tom Lynn Paxton, First Sergeant, U.S. Army, Retired 20 May 1925 – 27 April 2015. Tom Lynn Paxton, born May 20, 1925 in Prattsville, Ark., died Monday, April 27, 2015, in San Antonio, Texas. He was called home by his Lord and Savior to be reunited with his beloved wife, Jewell Crutchfield Paxton, after six long years apart—not the timeline Dad had envisioned when Mother died in 2009, but we are very grateful for every extra minute we had with Dad. The son of the late Laura Paxton Beasley and grandson of the late James Benton and Bessie Lee Paxton, he lived in Prattsville until he was drafted in 1943 and became part of what would later be called America's greatest generation. An expert marksman, he was a machine gunner in New Guinea and the Philippines. After making one too many complaints about the coffee, Dad was assigned to mess duty when not on the frontlines. When the war ended, he actually went to Army cooks' school and, after Mother's death, he took up cooking again, especially yummy desserts. Although Mother and Dad both grew up in Prattsville, it was not until after the war when they ran into each other in Little Rock that they fell in love. They married June 1, 1946 and began their life together in Killeen, Texas, where Dad was stationed at Fort Hood. Dad's post-war military career took him and us, when dependents were allowed, to Fort Hood, the Aleutian Islands, Washington, D.C., back to Fort Hood, Germany, Fort Sill in Oklahoma, France and again to Fort Hood, where he retired as a First Sergeant in June 1964. After retirement from the Army, Dad opened his first insurance agency just outside Lackland AFB in San Antonio, Texas. He would eventually add two more offices—one outside Fort Sam Houston and one outside Randolph AFB. He sold the agencies in 1980 and retired again, but not for long. When he was offered a job as a marketing rep for International Service Insurance Company, he and Mother hit the road in their RV visiting agents throughout the South and Southwest. In 1983, he became Vice President of Marketing for International Service Insurance Company, and he and Mother moved to Fort Worth. Dad retired for the third and final time in 1987 and they returned to San Antonio. Our home was wherever Dad was stationed, but our home base was always Prattsville. Family was very important to Mother and Daddy and as long as there was no ocean between us and Prattsville, we were there whenever possible. Many of our best memories are time spent with our grandparents, aunts, uncles and the best cousins ever. Dad never met a stranger and would strike up a conversation with anyone, anywhere. He loved working in his "Honey-Do HQ," tinkering with his truck, attending RV rallies in the state and across the country, watching car races, and spending time with friends, old and new, and with his girls—especially his granddaughters. Survivors include daughters Judith Lynn Hyndman and husband Jerry of San Antonio, Texas and Lisbeth Leigh Kirsh and husband Allen of Austin, Texas; sister Phyllis Colaianni and husband Larry Gillen of Maumelle, Ark.; sister-in-law Jamie York of Prattsville, Ark.; grandchildren Paxton Kirsh and husband Andrew Sharrett, Morgan Kirsh, Krystal Hyndman Crowder and husband Chris, Michael Hyndman and Lisa Hyndman; nephew Todd Colaianni; nieces Tracy Colaianni Klober and husband Terry, Linda Giuliani Lichina and husband Steve, Emily Crutchfield Richesin and husband Chuck, and Kay Crutchfield; great-nephews and great-niece Steve Lichina, David Lichina and wife April, Ross Richesin and Sommer Richesin; and the third generation of nieces and nephews Sophie, Olivia, Nathan and Matthew Lichina. Memorial Service: Wednesday, May 20, 2015, 1 p.m. Harmony Missionary Baptist Church 9348 US-270, Prattsville, Ark. 72129 In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to: Shriners Hospital for Children-Galveston, Attn: Administration, 815 Market Street, Galveston, Texas 77550 or a charity of your choosing.