Funeral service for Thomas James Hendershot, 91, of Lawton, will be at 11:00 a.m. Wednesday, April 24, 2013, at the Lawton Ritter Gray Funeral Home Chapel with the Rev. Dr. Bill Schneider, pastor of St. John Lutheran Church, officiating.

Mr. Hendershot passed away on Saturday, April 20th, 2013, at the Lawton/Fort Sill Veterans Center.

Burial will be at Sunset Memorial Gardens with military honors.
He was born on March 4th, 1922, in Lawton to Les and Georgia Hammers Hendershot. He grew up in Lawton and graduated from Lawton High School in 1941. He entered the United States Army on February 4, 1943, in Oklahoma City. He participated in the D-Day invasion as a glider pilot. He received a Silver Star, Two Bronze Service Stars, Distinguished Unit Badge, the Good Conduct Medal and the European-African-Middle Eastern Campaign Medal. He was honorably discharged on October 7, 1945. Tom returned to Lawton where he was in the construction business for more than 30 years. He built many homes in the older development of Wyatt Acres for Buster Wyatt. He then began working civil service at Fort Sill in 1972. He worked in the carpenter shop at Fort Sill for 20 years until his retirement. He was a life time member of the V.F.W. Post 5263. Tom was a member of St. John Lutheran Church. He loved to go fishing and was passionate about picking up pecans.
He is survived by his best friend of many years, Hilda Farmer of Lawton; other dear friends include, Joan Libro of Lawton, and his friend from the VA Center, Gordon Kern; two daughters, Jeanetta Watt and her husband, John, of Noble, Oklahoma, and Joanne Hancock of Norman, Oklahoma; four grandchildren, Wade Watt, Brett Watt, Vanessa Watt, and Eric Hancock.
He was preceded in death by his parents, two brothers, Joe and Jack Hendershot, and five sisters, Annie, Minnie, Dorothy, Peggy, and Pat, and his son, Thomas James Hendershot II.
Memorial contributions may be made to a charity of the donors' choice.
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