Thomas Joseph Booth

Thomas Joseph Booth was born on January 11, 1957 and died peacefully on June 6, 2025 in the arms of his family. He is survived by his treasured bride Kimberly (Paladino) and three children who were his greatest joys: Austin (wife Kristen), Malcolm (wife Sarah), and Mariella (husband Hunter). Tom is also survived by his siblings Mike Booth, Anne Hollings, Ben Booth, and Vince Booth. He is predeceased by his father Pat and mother Emily.

Tom walked daily, strongly, and faithfully with Jesus Christ. This began when Tom was a young man at Catholic High School for Boys. Here, Father Tribou, Father Fred, and the other men there provided Tom with shelter, leadership, and the example of Godliness that both gave him the strength to prosper while also creating in him the steadiness of faithfulness that united him with Christ when he breathed his last breath.

In everything he did, Tom led with his heart and soul. He loved one woman and loved Kim with everything he had. Anyone that knew him saw that he was a man of work. His work ethic was unrivaled and it flowed from His faithfulness to God. Every day, he set aside the physical pain of a life of manual labor and fixed his gaze on honoring his Father in heaven. Through this, he blessed scores of people from employees, friends, and business partners. He built hundreds of thousands of engines, but in doing so, shaped the lives and memories of many more people.

Tom was a gifted engine builder and unapologetic gearhead. He loved solving mechanical problems of any kind. He was entirely self-taught and earned a national reputation across multiple industries for not only building top quality engines but also for backing his product with his unbreakable word.

He started his days before 3:00 AM with God’s word and came home everyday dirty and tired, and he never wanted anything else. He chased the joy of God his father in his work for nearly 50 years, but it never came at the expense of serving his bride Kim or his three children. He gave them all lives better than they deserved. This was his goal, and he saw rich success. How he managed to work so hard for so long to serve those around him is inexplicable. And no one is surprised that he was helping a friend when the Lord took him.

Tom and Kim rejoiced over eight grandchildren: Raley, Rosa, Thomas (Hiatt), Eloise, Blair, Gemma, Jax, and Sienna. They called him Pappy. He called them before school, travelled great distances to hold them, cheered for them in sports, and taught them the joy of a strong marriage.

Tom leaves a void in so many lives that will only be filled by the gratitude of knowing him and through the comfort of union with Christ.

A visitation will be held at Smith North Little Rock Funeral Home on Thursday, June 12th beginning at 6:00 PM with a rosary to follow at 7:30 PM. A funeral mass will take place at the Cathedral of Saint Andrew on Friday, June 13th, at 10:00 AM. A private, family burial will follow.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Tom’s honor to Catholic High School for Boys. https://www.lrchs.org/