Richard Thomas Barksdale

The family will receive visitors at the Church of the Resurrection, 1216 Sneed Road West in Franklin at noon on Friday, August 11th. A memorial service will follow at 2 p.m. Afterward a reception will be held at the Barksdale home at 201 Middleton Court, Nashville.

Mr. Barksdale was a native Nashvillian and a proud descendant of families that have called Middle Tennessee home for almost two centuries. He attended Woodmont Elementary School and Walter E. Parmer School. He graduated from his beloved Montgomery Bell Academy where he was a member of a state champion golf team. He attended Tulane University and received a B.A. in Business Administration from Vanderbilt University.

A devoted member of the congregation of the Church of the Resurrection, he served on the Vestry and was appointed to the Bishop’s Committee on Evangelism. He was a member of Alpha Chi fraternity, Delta Kappa Epsilon fraternity and the Belle Meade Country Club. For many years he was a member of the zoning board for Forest Hills and served on many arbitration panels for the National Association of Securities Dealers. He served his country as a medic in the Air National Guard.

He began his career in New York City at Blyth and Company, where his southern accent and charm made him a favorite among the firm’s genteel clientele. It was while he was in New York that he met the love of his life, Nanci Morris, of Salisbury, North Carolina. He eventually followed Nanci to Atlanta where he became the manager of a new branch for White Weld and Company. It was while they were living in Atlanta that he and Nanci were married. Eventually the lure of Nashville proved to be compelling, so he returned home with his family to join the then Wiley Brothers.

“Tommy” made friends easily and was widely known for his great sense of humor. He was also a self-described “sports nut.” He followed the Titans, Predators and MBA football as well as a variety of general sporting events and spent many hours attending games or watching them on television. His real passion, however, was reserved for the Vanderbilt Commodores, especially the baseball team. He was a season ticket holder from the inception of Hawkins Field and was extremely proud of the success enjoyed by the Vandy Boys both on and off the field. He was elated when they won Vandy’s first national championship in men’s sports in 2014. He was also delighted that the football team competed in bowl games in four of the last seven years of his life.

He was predeceased by his parents, John McConnico Barksdale and Mary Weaver Harris Barksdale as well as a brother, John Harris Barksdale. Mr. Barksdale is survived his wife Nanci M. Barksdale his son, Richard (“Rick”) Thomas Barksdale, Jr. of Nashville, his daughter, Susan Langford Barksdale an artist in the Pacific Northwest, daughter-in-law, Edie Morel Barksdale of Brentwood, a sister, Mary B. Huddleston of Bowling Green, Kentucky, a brother, Weaver C. Barksdale of Brentwood, and two grandchildren, Edith McNairy Barksdale, and Richard Thomas Barksdale, III, both of Brentwood.

In lieu of flowers please send any donations to the Episcopal Church of the Resurrection.