Tomas D. Cooksey Jr. died Wednesday, March 17, 2010, at Brownwood Regional Medical Center. He was born may 13, 1921, the second of four sons of Tomas Denton Cooksey Sr. and Grace Rutherford Cooksey. The Cooksey boys all grew up at Sleepy Hollow Ranch near Mullin in Mills County. Tom graduated high school at Mullin, then attended John Tarleton College.

After Pearl Harbor was bombed, December 7, 1941, he enlisted in the U.S. Army Air corps. Tom trained on the Memphis Belle and Suzie Q, before its fateful crash. He was a B-17 crew member and saw action in England, Newfoundland and Bermuda during World War II. All four Cooksey brothers proudly served in the U.S. Armed Forces and were veterans of World War II.

Tom Jr. was married to Flora "Pug" Roberts, the very joy and love of his life, on November 20, 1941, in Brownwood. She preceded him in death, October 2, 2005.

A proud and dedicated American, Tom was a member of the VFW adn American Legion. He was a lifetime member of the Methodist Church at Mullin and hand-crafted the collection plates passed at services there each Sunday.

Tom was a beloved son, farther, husband, father, grandfather and "Paw Paw;" an expert wood and metal crafter; an avid gardener, hunter and fisherman; and a natural born engineer, who could fix or make anything - and did every chance he got.

The family moved from Mullin to San Saba in 1963, and Tom began a long career at San Saba Tractor Company. For the last 25 or more years, he has run a small machine and lawn-mower repair shop in San Saba and the long row of lawn-mowers in front of the home business in west San Saba became something of a landmark for the city.

Funeral services for Tomas D. Cooksey Jr., 88, were held at 2p.m. Sunday, march 21, in the chapel at Stacy-Wilkins Funeral Home, with burial following at Oakview Cemetery in Mullin, Mills County, Texas.

Pallbearers included the grandsons and grandsons-in-law.

Honorary pallbearers included Max Mahan, Roger Verette, Robert and Joe David Williamson, Bill Mack Cooksey, Lynn Faught, Douglas Rutherford and Doug Hayes. Bro. Jack Vaughn officiated.

Tom is survived by his four children and their spouses, Sherrie and Tommy Shelton of Mullin; Mark and Kathy Cooksey of Garden City, Kansas; Lindy and Nelson Smith of Richland Springs and Robbie and Kim Cooksey of Abilene; one brother, James Maxwell Cooksey, of Irving; a sister-in-law, Bernice Cooksey Wiley; 12 grandchildren, Shawna Vaughn and husband Terry; Kim Martyniuk and husband Teddy; Kristie Speck and husband Fritz; Brionna Cooksey, Justin Grady and wife Sarah; Toni Grady, Damon Slaughter and wife Audrea; Patrick Smith, Lyle Smith, Matthew Cooksey, Luke Cooksey and Joshua Cooksey; and 15 great-grandchildren, TerraLynne, Rachel Anne and Tyler Vaughn; Callie, Conner, Cannon, Camrie, Cassidy and Creed Martyniuk; Logan, Lainey and Will Speck; Sydney Slaughter, and Leona and Jayson Smith.

Besides his wife, he was preceded in death by his brothers, Bill C. Cooksey and Jack Rutherford Cooksey; sisters-in-law June Roberts Cooksey and Sue Powell Cooksey; and a grandson, Seth Tomas Cooksey.

The family requests donations be made in Tom's memory to the Mullin Community Center, 115 FM 573 S. Mullin, Texas 76864 or San Saba County EMS, 607 E. Commerce, San Saba, Texas 76877.