Thomas Oliver Hart, age 92, of Columbia, MO, passed away peacefully on August 8, 2021.
He was born in Nora Springs, Iowa on April 2, 1929, at home on the family farm. Farming stayed in his blood the rest of his life.
The only time Tom left the farm was to serve his country from 1951 - 1953 in the Army as a Marine Engineer during the Korean War. He was stationed in Labrador, Canada on a tugboat in Goose Bay, and was discharged as a Corporal in 1953.
When his parents decided to follow family to Missouri, he chose to leave Iowa and moved to Missouri as well to help take care of them. Farms were bought in Prathersville and Stephens, MO.
Besides farming, Tom also worked 8 years for the Stephens College Bakery where he learned to bake. This would serve him well later in life as he was famous for his crème puffs that would be donated to bake sales, fundraisers, receptions, card games, carry-in dinners, and given to all those that he did business with. Tom also became a Pinkerton Security Guard and worked at Shelter Insurance Gardens and then the Columbia Mall when it was being built in 1985. He did such a fine job at Columbia Mall that the General Growth hiring team offered him a job there and he accepted taking the head Floor Maintenance position that led Columbia Mall to win awards for their spectacular floors. Tom retired from the Columbia Mall in 1997 after 12 years of service.
When Tom left Stephens College, he met and married Lorine Oidtman from Jefferson City on February 1, 1964, after a 5-month courtship. The story goes that Tom always said it would be a hot day in the winter when he got married and it was. On February 1, it was 75 degrees!
Thomas had many passions. He had a soft spot for animals and would take in any stray that needed a home. This included keeping piglets warm in a basket by a wood stove and puppies born on Christmas Day to bottle feeding calves and kittens.
Another passion of his was gardening. He enjoyed planting big gardens of strawberries, peas, potatoes, asparagus, green beans, onions, radishes, sweet potatoes, and also had an orchard of fruit trees. His bounty was then canned or frozen to be enjoyed during the long winter months. He would share this abundance with neighbors and family as well.
Community was definitely a passion of Thomas Hart. He supported Hatton McCredie and North Callaway school districts, became a volunteer fire fighter when the North Callaway Fire District was first started, served on boards, strongly supported Callaway Rural Electric, MFA, Farm Bureau, and many neighbors. Even after retiring, Tom could be seen driving grain trucks for John Sprock well into his 80s.
Tom's greatest passion was his family. First and foremost, he was there for them. Besides working nights at the Columbia Mall and then farming all day, he would still take time to help with homework even if it meant stopping the tractor in the middle of the field to do so. He took an annual trip with his family to a different state every year to see cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends, but also included an educational purpose with many trips to state capitals, forts, and historical sites. There were fishing trips to the farm pond, shovel rides on the ice, and rides in the back of the pickup. As his children grew up and moved away, he and Lorine got to spend time together taking many trips with the Oats Bus Senior trips. Some of his last words were "I've had a wonderful life!"
Tom is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lorine Hart; his children, Nancy Berrey, Ben (Patricia) Hart, Susan Hart, and Peggy Hart; his grandchildren, Catherine Berrey, Lukas Berrey, Madeline Hart, and Olivia Hart; brothers, Richard Hart and Jack (Alberta Louise) Hart; sister-in-law, Sharon (Virgil) Kirkweg; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Oliver and Minnie Pearl Hart; brother, Robert Hart; and sister-in-laws Mary (Joe) Hillen, Rita Alig, Pauline Sharp, and Margaret Hart.
Visitation will be held on Friday, August 13, 2021, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 14, 2021, at 10:00 am, both at Memorial Funeral Home at 1217 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia, MO 65202.
He was born in Nora Springs, Iowa on April 2, 1929, at home on the family farm. Farming stayed in his blood the rest of his life.
The only time Tom left the farm was to serve his country from 1951 - 1953 in the Army as a Marine Engineer during the Korean War. He was stationed in Labrador, Canada on a tugboat in Goose Bay, and was discharged as a Corporal in 1953.
When his parents decided to follow family to Missouri, he chose to leave Iowa and moved to Missouri as well to help take care of them. Farms were bought in Prathersville and Stephens, MO.
Besides farming, Tom also worked 8 years for the Stephens College Bakery where he learned to bake. This would serve him well later in life as he was famous for his crème puffs that would be donated to bake sales, fundraisers, receptions, card games, carry-in dinners, and given to all those that he did business with. Tom also became a Pinkerton Security Guard and worked at Shelter Insurance Gardens and then the Columbia Mall when it was being built in 1985. He did such a fine job at Columbia Mall that the General Growth hiring team offered him a job there and he accepted taking the head Floor Maintenance position that led Columbia Mall to win awards for their spectacular floors. Tom retired from the Columbia Mall in 1997 after 12 years of service.
When Tom left Stephens College, he met and married Lorine Oidtman from Jefferson City on February 1, 1964, after a 5-month courtship. The story goes that Tom always said it would be a hot day in the winter when he got married and it was. On February 1, it was 75 degrees!
Thomas had many passions. He had a soft spot for animals and would take in any stray that needed a home. This included keeping piglets warm in a basket by a wood stove and puppies born on Christmas Day to bottle feeding calves and kittens.
Another passion of his was gardening. He enjoyed planting big gardens of strawberries, peas, potatoes, asparagus, green beans, onions, radishes, sweet potatoes, and also had an orchard of fruit trees. His bounty was then canned or frozen to be enjoyed during the long winter months. He would share this abundance with neighbors and family as well.
Community was definitely a passion of Thomas Hart. He supported Hatton McCredie and North Callaway school districts, became a volunteer fire fighter when the North Callaway Fire District was first started, served on boards, strongly supported Callaway Rural Electric, MFA, Farm Bureau, and many neighbors. Even after retiring, Tom could be seen driving grain trucks for John Sprock well into his 80s.
Tom's greatest passion was his family. First and foremost, he was there for them. Besides working nights at the Columbia Mall and then farming all day, he would still take time to help with homework even if it meant stopping the tractor in the middle of the field to do so. He took an annual trip with his family to a different state every year to see cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends, but also included an educational purpose with many trips to state capitals, forts, and historical sites. There were fishing trips to the farm pond, shovel rides on the ice, and rides in the back of the pickup. As his children grew up and moved away, he and Lorine got to spend time together taking many trips with the Oats Bus Senior trips. Some of his last words were "I've had a wonderful life!"
Tom is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lorine Hart; his children, Nancy Berrey, Ben (Patricia) Hart, Susan Hart, and Peggy Hart; his grandchildren, Catherine Berrey, Lukas Berrey, Madeline Hart, and Olivia Hart; brothers, Richard Hart and Jack (Alberta Louise) Hart; sister-in-law, Sharon (Virgil) Kirkweg; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Oliver and Minnie Pearl Hart; brother, Robert Hart; and sister-in-laws Mary (Joe) Hillen, Rita Alig, Pauline Sharp, and Margaret Hart.
Visitation will be held on Friday, August 13, 2021, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 14, 2021, at 10:00 am, both at Memorial Funeral Home at 1217 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia, MO 65202.
Thomas Oliver Hart, age 92, of Columbia, MO, passed away peacefully on August 8, 2021.
He was born in Nora Springs, Iowa on April 2, 1929, at home on the family farm. Farming stayed in his blood the rest of his life.
The only time Tom left the farm was to serve his country from 1951 - 1953 in the Army as a Marine Engineer during the Korean War. He was stationed in Labrador, Canada on a tugboat in Goose Bay, and was discharged as a Corporal in 1953.
When his parents decided to follow family to Missouri, he chose to leave Iowa and moved to Missouri as well to help take care of them. Farms were bought in Prathersville and Stephens, MO.
Besides farming, Tom also worked 8 years for the Stephens College Bakery where he learned to bake. This would serve him well later in life as he was famous for his crème puffs that would be donated to bake sales, fundraisers, receptions, card games, carry-in dinners, and given to all those that he did business with. Tom also became a Pinkerton Security Guard and worked at Shelter Insurance Gardens and then the Columbia Mall when it was being built in 1985. He did such a fine job at Columbia Mall that the General Growth hiring team offered him a job there and he accepted taking the head Floor Maintenance position that led Columbia Mall to win awards for their spectacular floors. Tom retired from the Columbia Mall in 1997 after 12 years of service.
When Tom left Stephens College, he met and married Lorine Oidtman from Jefferson City on February 1, 1964, after a 5-month courtship. The story goes that Tom always said it would be a hot day in the winter when he got married and it was. On February 1, it was 75 degrees!
Thomas had many passions. He had a soft spot for animals and would take in any stray that needed a home. This included keeping piglets warm in a basket by a wood stove and puppies born on Christmas Day to bottle feeding calves and kittens.
Another passion of his was gardening. He enjoyed planting big gardens of strawberries, peas, potatoes, asparagus, green beans, onions, radishes, sweet potatoes, and also had an orchard of fruit trees. His bounty was then canned or frozen to be enjoyed during the long winter months. He would share this abundance with neighbors and family as well.
Community was definitely a passion of Thomas Hart. He supported Hatton McCredie and North Callaway school districts, became a volunteer fire fighter when the North Callaway Fire District was first started, served on boards, strongly supported Callaway Rural Electric, MFA, Farm Bureau, and many neighbors. Even after retiring, Tom could be seen driving grain trucks for John Sprock well into his 80s.
Tom's greatest passion was his family. First and foremost, he was there for them. Besides working nights at the Columbia Mall and then farming all day, he would still take time to help with homework even if it meant stopping the tractor in the middle of the field to do so. He took an annual trip with his family to a different state every year to see cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends, but also included an educational purpose with many trips to state capitals, forts, and historical sites. There were fishing trips to the farm pond, shovel rides on the ice, and rides in the back of the pickup. As his children grew up and moved away, he and Lorine got to spend time together taking many trips with the Oats Bus Senior trips. Some of his last words were "I've had a wonderful life!"
Tom is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lorine Hart; his children, Nancy Berrey, Ben (Patricia) Hart, Susan Hart, and Peggy Hart; his grandchildren, Catherine Berrey, Lukas Berrey, Madeline Hart, and Olivia Hart; brothers, Richard Hart and Jack (Alberta Louise) Hart; sister-in-law, Sharon (Virgil) Kirkweg; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Oliver and Minnie Pearl Hart; brother, Robert Hart; and sister-in-laws Mary (Joe) Hillen, Rita Alig, Pauline Sharp, and Margaret Hart.
Visitation will be held on Friday, August 13, 2021, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 14, 2021, at 10:00 am, both at Memorial Funeral Home at 1217 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia, MO 65202.
He was born in Nora Springs, Iowa on April 2, 1929, at home on the family farm. Farming stayed in his blood the rest of his life.
The only time Tom left the farm was to serve his country from 1951 - 1953 in the Army as a Marine Engineer during the Korean War. He was stationed in Labrador, Canada on a tugboat in Goose Bay, and was discharged as a Corporal in 1953.
When his parents decided to follow family to Missouri, he chose to leave Iowa and moved to Missouri as well to help take care of them. Farms were bought in Prathersville and Stephens, MO.
Besides farming, Tom also worked 8 years for the Stephens College Bakery where he learned to bake. This would serve him well later in life as he was famous for his crème puffs that would be donated to bake sales, fundraisers, receptions, card games, carry-in dinners, and given to all those that he did business with. Tom also became a Pinkerton Security Guard and worked at Shelter Insurance Gardens and then the Columbia Mall when it was being built in 1985. He did such a fine job at Columbia Mall that the General Growth hiring team offered him a job there and he accepted taking the head Floor Maintenance position that led Columbia Mall to win awards for their spectacular floors. Tom retired from the Columbia Mall in 1997 after 12 years of service.
When Tom left Stephens College, he met and married Lorine Oidtman from Jefferson City on February 1, 1964, after a 5-month courtship. The story goes that Tom always said it would be a hot day in the winter when he got married and it was. On February 1, it was 75 degrees!
Thomas had many passions. He had a soft spot for animals and would take in any stray that needed a home. This included keeping piglets warm in a basket by a wood stove and puppies born on Christmas Day to bottle feeding calves and kittens.
Another passion of his was gardening. He enjoyed planting big gardens of strawberries, peas, potatoes, asparagus, green beans, onions, radishes, sweet potatoes, and also had an orchard of fruit trees. His bounty was then canned or frozen to be enjoyed during the long winter months. He would share this abundance with neighbors and family as well.
Community was definitely a passion of Thomas Hart. He supported Hatton McCredie and North Callaway school districts, became a volunteer fire fighter when the North Callaway Fire District was first started, served on boards, strongly supported Callaway Rural Electric, MFA, Farm Bureau, and many neighbors. Even after retiring, Tom could be seen driving grain trucks for John Sprock well into his 80s.
Tom's greatest passion was his family. First and foremost, he was there for them. Besides working nights at the Columbia Mall and then farming all day, he would still take time to help with homework even if it meant stopping the tractor in the middle of the field to do so. He took an annual trip with his family to a different state every year to see cousins, aunts, uncles, and friends, but also included an educational purpose with many trips to state capitals, forts, and historical sites. There were fishing trips to the farm pond, shovel rides on the ice, and rides in the back of the pickup. As his children grew up and moved away, he and Lorine got to spend time together taking many trips with the Oats Bus Senior trips. Some of his last words were "I've had a wonderful life!"
Tom is survived by his wife of 57 years, Lorine Hart; his children, Nancy Berrey, Ben (Patricia) Hart, Susan Hart, and Peggy Hart; his grandchildren, Catherine Berrey, Lukas Berrey, Madeline Hart, and Olivia Hart; brothers, Richard Hart and Jack (Alberta Louise) Hart; sister-in-law, Sharon (Virgil) Kirkweg; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins.
He was preceded in death by his parents, Oliver and Minnie Pearl Hart; brother, Robert Hart; and sister-in-laws Mary (Joe) Hillen, Rita Alig, Pauline Sharp, and Margaret Hart.
Visitation will be held on Friday, August 13, 2021, from 5:00 – 7:00 pm. Funeral services will be held on Saturday, August 14, 2021, at 10:00 am, both at Memorial Funeral Home at 1217 Business Loop 70 W, Columbia, MO 65202.
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