Thomas Randolph Kendrick

Thomas R. Kendrick, age 82, passed to the next life on May 3, 2016 at Vanderbilt University Medical Center after a brief illness. His family and friends will accept visitors at the Johnson Chapel of Shackelford Funeral Directors in Henderson, Tennessee, on Friday, May 6, 2016, from 5:00 to 8:00 p.m. Tom will lie in state at Rocky Springs Primitive Baptist Church from noon to the time of service. Services will be held at 2:00 p.m., on Saturday, May 7, 2016 with Bro. Elzie Danley officiating. Burial will be in Rocky Springs Cemetery.

Tom is a 1951 graduate of Beech Bluff High School. After serving in the U. S. Army from 1953-1956 and reaching the rank of Sargent first-class, Tom then devoted his life and career to truck driving, mostly with Lehman Chemical Lines. He was a member of the Teamsters and a Louisiana Free Mason. He was Baptist in faith and was baptized as a young man and in the Jordan River during a trip to the Holy Land with his sister. Tom was a member of Pleasant Hill Baptist Church.

Tom was preceded in death by his wife, Ruth Rhodes Kendrick and their children, James Franklin and Richard Thomas Kendrick, as well as his parents, Felix Randolph and Mary Lou Bain Kendrick, a sister, Margaret Olene Kendrick Wells, and a brother, Charles Roy Kendrick. Survivors include many cousins, nieces and nephews. At the time of his death, Tom lived within a mile of where he was born in the Rocky Springs Community. Over his career, Tom saw every part of the 48 contiguous States, and he never met a stranger. He will be sorely missed by all that came into contact with him.

The family wishes to express its deep appreciation for Ms. Tonya White, perhaps Tom’s closest and best friend, for her help through this difficult time, as well as the staffs of the Cardiovascular Intensive Care Units at Jackson-Madison County General Hospital and Vanderbilt University Medical Center for their attention, patience and hard work in caring for Tom.

The family would request that in lieu of flowers, any memorials be directed in Tom’s honor to the Rocky Springs Cemetery Association, c/o Dennis Robison, 55 Stanford Drive, Jackson, TN 38301, to insure the continued upkeep and vitality of the Rocky Springs Cemetery.