Tom Mize was born in Pontotoc, MS on November 11, 1944 and attended school there until his family moved to New Albany, MS due to his father’s job as an insurance salesman. Growing up as the oldest of three siblings, Tom had a wonderful childhood filled with fishing, camping, and spending lots of time with the many cousins in the family. The family moved to Tupelo, MS when Tom was in the 5th grade. While in high school, Tom was a member of the track team where he excelled at running, especially the high hurdles. His father instilled in him a strong work ethic and Tom had several jobs while in high school. He was also a lead singer and guitar player for a local rock band called The Gants. After graduating from Tupelo High School, Tom attended community college and graduated from the University of Mississippi with a Bachelor’s Degree in Business Management.
After college, Tom was drafted into the U.S. Army and is a veteran of the Vietnam War. Tom was proud of his service to the country and came from a long line of family heroes that served in all branches of the U.S. military. While in Vietnam, Tom was trained as a demolition engineer. This involved being out in the field for weeks at a time trying to disengage underground mines. These were very difficult days for our servicemen, but Tom served the military with great bravery and honor. During his time in Vietnam, Tom was frequently exposed to Agent Orange which led to his Parkinson’s disease diagnosis later in life.
After returning from his service, Tom went to work as an auditor with the Mississippi Tax Commission. During this time, Tom returned to graduate school and earned a Master’s in Business Administration. After working there for several years, he began his career at Ingalls Shipbuilding in Pascagoula, MS. The company had contracts to build ships for the United States Navy, and Tom traveled extensively all over the world negotiating contracts for the US government. Tom retired from Ingalls after a successful career. Shortly after retirement, Tom and his wife lost their home in Pascagoula in Hurricane Katrina. Several months later, they moved to Memphis, TN to be close to their son Jeff and his wife Kathy.
Tom was a man of faith, a wonderful husband, father, and grandfather, and a great friend that touched many lives over the years. He loved the outdoors, music, sports, and spending time with friends and family.
Tom is survived by his wife of 46 years, Ruth Mize; his son Jeffrey Thomas Mize (Kathy) and grandchildren Molly, Celia, and James of Memphis, TN; his son John Vernon Mize (Bronwen) and his grandchildren Goran and Hadrian of Aurora, CO; and his siblings Andy Mize (Tressia) of Saltillo, MS and Cathy Clark (Bruce) of Tupelo, MS.
The family would like to thank the wonderful staff at Ave Maria and St. James House for their friendship and care of Tom over the past two years.
The family will receive friends on Monday, November 23rd at Faith Baptist Church Bartlett, TN (3755 N. Germantown Parkway, Bartlett, TN) from 12:00-2:00 p.m. with a service to follow at 2:00 p.m. The family requests that guests wear masks and adhere to social distancing guidelines. A private military burial will occur at a later date at West Tennessee Veterans Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations to either the Mid-South Parkinson’s Support Group, 1512 Pine Shadows Dr., Memphis, TN 38120 www.midsouthpdsupport.com or the Michael J Fox Parkinson’s Foundation, Grand Central Station, P.O. Box 4777, New York, NY 10163 www.michaeljfox.org
