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Obituary for Tom Barton Stephenson

Tom  Barton  Stephenson
Tom Stephenson, age 83, passed away peacefully with his wife Arlene at his side on October 2, 2017 at the
Hendrick Medical Center in Abilene, TX.

Tom Barton Stephenson was born into his doting family on March 21, 1934 in Brownwood, Texas; the son of Eddie and Laura Stephenson. Being the much younger 4th child, he had a lot of pampering by older sis¬ters Faye and Joy and his big brother, Edward. He graduated from Early High School and later from Howard Payne University in Brownwood. He spent his working career in retail management, having worked primar¬ily at the Elmo Wasson Men's Store, Gibbs and Weeks and Thornton's Department Store in Big Spring, Thornton's in Brownwood and Higginbotham's in Cross Plains.

Tom's lifetime love of old movies began as a youngster when he had his choice of theaters in downtown Brownwood in which to spend his Saturday afternoons. As a teen-ager, he was excited beyond measure when he was hired at the Sunset Drive-In Theater the night it opened in Early. Selling tickets, parking cars and working the concession stand provided many stories that he loved to share. He was a hard man to beat when it came to movie trivia.

Football was another love of Tom's that began with his own Early Longhorn games under the Friday night lights. He never missed a Cross Plains Buffalo game, even as son Randy was in the band rather than on the field. From the beginning of the Dallas Cowboys as an expansion team up through Roger Staubach's "Hail Mary Pass" to Drew Pearson, Tom Landry's collection of hats and all the ups and downs that go with the game, he loved it all.

When he helped organize Project Pride in the late eighties, little did he know that he would make friends from all over the world as folks made their way to Cross Plains to see the Robert E. Howard Museum. Each June, he looked forward to seeing this wide circle of friends as they gathered here for the Robert E. Howard Days.

Tom was active in many ways at the Methodist Church, greeting folks every Sunday morning as they arrived and delivering food from the local Food Pantry to shut-ins each month. He especially looked forward to operating the popcorn machine for the church as the annual Cancer Walk and "taking tickets" at the Lord's Acre dinner.

Tom is survived by his wife Arlene of 44 years, son Randy and daughter-in-law Nicki of Dallas, nephews Carlton and Pat Stowers, Larry and Dinah Stowers and a host of in-laws, nieces and nephews from Arlene's family.

A celebration of Tom's life will be held Thursday, October 5, 2:00 p.m. at the First United Methodist Church of Cross Plains with Pastor Kevin Morton officiating. Burial will follow the service in the Cross Plains Memorial Park in Cross Plains. The family will have a time of visitation on Wednesday, October 4 from 6:00-8:00 p.m. at Higginbotham Funeral Home Chapel in Cross Plains, Texas.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Project Pride.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Tom Barton Stephenson, please visit our Heartfelt Sympathies Store.

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