Thomas R. Rankin

Thomas Russell Rankin, 86, of Vestavia Hills, passed away Friday, May 29th. Tom was born in Union City, Tennessee. He graduated from Union City High School in 1946, where he was a National Beta Club Member, Senior Class President, Editor of the school newspaper, and played football. He wrote sports columns for the Union City newspaper while in high school. He graduated from UT Junior College at Martin.

Tom joined the Air Force in August 1948, and was Honorably Discharged with the rank of Staff Sergeant in July, 1952. He graduated from Memphis State University in 1954 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Business Administration. He was employed as an Accountant by South Central Bell for 34 years, retiring in 1988. He had been a resident of Birmingham since 1959.

Tom was a member of Dawson Memorial Baptist Church in Homewood for 56 years. He served his Lord in many ways, teaching Training Union and Sunday School, and helping with the Pre-Teen choir. He was a reading coach at Hall Kent Elementary for 20 years, where he was known to many students as “Grandpa Rankin”.

He is survived by his son, Brian Rankin of Vestavia Hills; daughter, Sandra Rankin of Leeds, and daughter, Elise Rankin of Eugene, Oregon. He is also survived by two cousins, Gwynne Alexander of Union City, TN and Maurice Alexander of South Lyon, Michigan.

Tom was preceded in death by his wife of 54 years, Betty Jean Massey Rankin, and his parents, Russell Erle and Nelle Strother Rankin, both of Obion County, TN.

Tom was a kind and generous man, with a lively sense of humor. He influenced many lives with his positive outlook and his desire to help others. He will be greatly missed.

A visitation for Tom will be Saturday, June 6th from 10:00 am to 11:00 AM at Dawson Memorial Baptist Church , followed by a memorial service at 11:00 AM. The family will meet at 2:00 PM at Southern Heritage Cemetery for burial.

In lieu of flowers, the family request that contributions to Tom’s memory be made to Dawson Memorial Baptist Church, 1114 Oxmoor Road, Birmingham, AL 35209 or to Big Oak Ranch, PO Box 507, Springville, AL 35146.