Thomas Henry Rishton, Sr.

Obituary

Thomas Henry Rishton, Sr.
June 15, 1921 – January 25, 2026

Thomas (104 ½) was born on June 15, 1921 in New Orleans. His father, Thomas (“Harry”) from Kidderminster, England, was a master plaster craftsman in New Orleans. His mother Antoinette Menge (“Nettie”) was from Happy Jack, Louisiana. Harry came to America from England in 1907 and married Nettie in 1920. From their union came 6 children – Thomas, Emily, Dorothy, Robert, Mary and Gertrude (Trudy). Thomas’s early career was in helping his dad with the plaster work in some of the hotels of the 1930’s in New Orleans. Also, he worked in Katz and Besthoff drugstores as a teen and at the Cloverland Dairy.
In the late 1930’s, Thomas’s mother was contacted by Jehovah’s Witnesses. After a thorough study of the bible with the help of Bro. A. K. Farah, Thomas symbolized his dedication by water baptism in Lake Pontchartrain in 1942 when he was 21 years old. One year later, he was arrested and sent to Montgomery, Alabama federal prison for his Christian neutrality. He served two years for his faith, along with many other loyal Christian brothers.
After the war, he moved to Brooklyn, New York in 1949. There, he met a lovely Italian Christian sister named Constance Spilotras. Tom and Connie married in 1951. From this union came 8 children -Tommy Jr., Johnny (Mike), Richard, Paul, Mark, Michael, David and Leah. After living briefly in Union City, New Jersey, the family returned to New Orleans in 1957. By 1965, they eventually settled in Hammond, LA., with Tom working in the insurance industry. Tom and Connie enjoyed their retirement years in Summerfield, Florida from 1999 until Connie’s passing in 2013 after 62 years of marriage. Under the loving care of his sons David, Richard and daughter Leah, he had been living in McComb, MS. for several years where fishing, playing the violin, attending meetings at the McComb kingdom hall and keeping up with his family were his greatest joys.
Thomas leaves behind his sons Tommy with Judy, Richard, Michael and his daughter Leah, his sister Trudy Rieger of Amite, LA., his daughter-in-law Carine Rishton, 20 grandchildren, 39 great-grandchildren and 2 great-great grandchildren along with many loving nieces, nephews and friends. He was preceded in death by his parents, Thomas (Harry) and Antoinette Rishton, his, brother Robert, his sisters Emily, Dorothy and Mary, his sons Paul, Johnny (Mike), Mark and David, and two grandsons, Wesley Prevost and Joshua Rishton.
The family of Thomas wishes to extend sincere gratitude to the friends and family who reached out with calls and visits, as well as heartfelt thanks to the team of caregivers and Hospice nurses who gave of themselves during this difficult time.

A celebration of life in loving memory of Thomas Rishton will be held on Saturday, March 7, 2026
Visitation 1 pm and Service 2 pm CST
Kingdom Hall of Jehovah’s Witnesses
4072 MS-24, McComb, MS 39648
Zoom ID 918-057-0743 PW 11093