Henry Thomas "Tommy" Shearon Jr.

Henry Thomas "Tommy" Shearon, Jr. 81, of Clarksville TN passed away on Wednesday, September 3, 2025.

Tommy was born on October 6, 1943 to the late Henry Thomas Shearon Sr. and Virginia Arlee Smiith Shearon. In addition to his parents Tommy was preceded in death by his first wife of 47 years, Phillis Shearon, and son Jeffery Thomas Shearon. He was also preceded in death by his brothers, Bobby Wayne and Jerry and sister, Anne.

Tommy is survived by his wife of 10 years, Betty; children Dr. Tracy Nichols (Eddie), Steve Shearon (Julie), and step-son Jeffery Morrison (Karoline), devoted sister Peggy, grandchildren Chandler Wilson, Brandon Shearon (Juanita), Jessica Shearon, Madison Nichols, Kennedy Nichols, Melanie Whitney (William) and Kody Morrison and great grandchildren Reese Ivey, Jadeyn Shearon, Bennett Wilson, Vincent Lynch, Lennox Lynch, Liam Whitney, and Logan Whitney and several loving nieces, nephews, and other family.

Tommy or "Poppa" as he was known to his precious grandchildren and great grandchildren, had a big heart and loved to give to the people in his life, family, or even strangers in need. Family, by blood or marriage, was one of the most important parts of his life and he would do whatever he could to help them.

Tommy also loved to work – his work ethic was an example for all. He had several small jobs prior to starting Acme Boot Company in 1964, but this is where Tommy made his mark on the business world. He began as a stock boy in the shipping department. From there, his incredible math skills helped him secure a position in payroll where he then moved to an Industrial Engineer position from 1968-1970. During this same time, he was a foreman at the Ashland City plant and also in HR at the Springfield office. Once this ended, he was promoted to the Chief Engineer over all others in the company. He moved to another new position, Merchandiser, from 1970 to 1974. Yet another promotion was earned when he was the Assistant Sales Manager in 1975 and within six months he was promoted again to Sales Manager (1976-1980). In 1981, he became the Dan Post Division Sales Manager. His incredible business savvy led to his leadership of the failing Dingo division in 1983 to try to revive this brand where he served as the VP of Dingo. In 1986, he became VP of Sales and General Manager of the Dingo division. In 1996, Acme restructured and Tommy became VP of Sales and Key Accounts. After 33 years of work at Acme, he left and became the Executive VP of Sales for Texas Boot Company. In 2005, he went to Dan Post Boot Company as VP of Western Sales providing an opportunity to work with his longtime friend, Ken Moore. When Tommy passed away this week, he was still employed as a consultant for Dan Post – retired, but still working. Tommy loved to work and really enjoyed the people he met along the way. His career was a significant part of his life and he was proud of what he accomplished.

Tommy loved people and he loved to talk – he really loved to talk. He also loved being right. If he thought he was right, he would keep looking for a way to prove you wrong. He also loved to argue – or "debate" as he called it. There were a lot of "Poppaisms" his family will remember and only a few we can share. One of our favorites was, "If I tell you it's Easter, you better dye your eggs" or "Google it – see if I'm right." He was known to instigate an argument just to have a lively debate. This would tickle him and that amazing smile and smirk he had would engulf the room.

In addition to being right, one of his favorite joys in life was golf. He was an avid golfer and one of Clarksville's best. He would make sure you knew how good he was forgetting to mention he often struggled with his putting game. Even so, he managed to win several local tournaments including the Clarksville City Amateur in 1981. When he wasn't playing golf, you could probably find him playing cards with a group of friends. Again, Tommy loved people and boy, did he love life. As a Poppa, Tommy adored each of his grandchildren. He loved them and loved to brag about the talents they had whether it was making cabinets, making honors in college, or playing softball. They brought him tremendous joy. While he didn't play favorites with them, his bond with two of them, Chandler and Jessica were even closer to him due to unique life circumstances. He also loved his great grandchildren and spending time with them made his day.

As much as he loved his grandchildren and great grandchildren, he loved his children with a passion and determination to make them the best they could possibly be with hard love and pushing them to excel. His Saturday morning breakfasts with them and Betty were highlights of his week.

After losing his wife of 47 years, Tommy was lost. Then one day, he ran into Betty. Little did he know, she was going to help him heal and love again. Betty became his new love and brought out a fun side of Tommy. She had him riding motorcycles, dressing up for Halloween, and traveling everywhere (especially his favorite Smokies) making new happy memories. When Tommy became seriously ill, it was Betty who was his companion, constant caretaker, and the one he depended on for all his needs. He loved her and was so thankful she was there for him.

In his own words, some of his favorite things were reading, family Christmas Eve, cards with his crew, and his Thursday early breakfast at Cracker Barrel each week. Tommy's life was a lesson in hard knocks, but his resilience and love of life was stronger than any sand trap he ever encountered. He was one of the smartest men you would meet. He was a math genius and also embraced his creative side as a poet and writer. Even up to the end, he remained positive and his strong faith kept him focused on knowing he would be home soon. He didn't want to leave his friends or his loved ones, but he was ready for heaven. We hope heaven is ready for his acerbic wit, his boisterous laugh, and that huge heart full of love.

Visitation will be held on Sunday, September 7th, 2025 from 2:00 PM until 4:00 PM and Monday, September 8th, 2025 from 12:00 until the funeral service begins. The funeral service will be held at 1:00 PM on Monday, September 8, 2025 with Rev Larry Robertson officiating. Burial will follow service at Resthaven Memorial Gardens. Pallbearers include: Harold Hensley, Ken Moore, John Brennan, David Scott, Todd Morris, Rick Richardson, Zack Greenfield and Horace Heggie with honorary pallbearers Todd Haliday, Matt Baker, Brad VanKirk, Mike Taylor, Chuck Wallace, Larry McCloud, Gary Weaver, Pat Miner, Cliff McGee, Billy McCraw, Jeff McLaughlin, Rick Hawk. In lieu of flowers, please consider a memorial donation to St. Jude Children's Research Hospital