Thomas Perry Bush

Thomas P. Bush (Sambo), (Tom), also known by many as “Bro. Bush”, went to be with the Lord on March 18, 2024, at John L. McLellan Veterans Hospital after a long battle with cancer. He was one of twelve children born to John and Minnie Lee Bush in Opp, Alabama where he attended high school and met the love of his life, Joyce Carnley, and they were married on June 20, 1959.

Shortly thereafter, he joined the United States Air Force where he honorably served his country for twenty years, including the Vietnam War. He received many distinguished awards, medals, and honors throughout his military career.

After retiring from USAF, in Jacksonville, Arkansas, he began another career at the Baptist Health Medical Center in Little Rock where he worked for 13 years before retiring. It was during this time that he became an avid “soul-winner” and began a successful Outreach Ministry in the Arkansas prisons, jails, local nursing homes, aired on a weekly radio broadcast, and ministered at local churches.

Bro. Bush became a full-time licensed ordained minister and pastored churches until the time of his death. When God called him into the ministry, he truly became a “fisher of men”. He was always witnessing; neither afraid nor ashamed to share the Gospel of Jesus Christ. 

He never met a stranger. Many that knew him could testify of his generosity and easily identify him as a Good Samaritan. It was not unusual for him to bring someone (or even a family) home with him to feed, clothe, lodge, and help them to seek employment so they could get back on their feet again. He clearly had a heart for the lost and hurting.

When he wasn’t fishing for souls, he was fishing for crappie (or bass).  He loved to hunt, but fishing was his passion. The walls of their home display some of his greatest catches.

If he wasn’t at the church, fishing on a lake, or hunting, you could always find him out in his shop “piddlin” or “tinkering”, determined to modify, re-invent, or improve something or another to meet HIS specifications.  It wasn’t unusual to find him out there at 3 a.m. in the morning. He would say, “The Lord woke him up and had shown him how to fix or make something…and it couldn’t wait.” The same was true for many of his sermons. He was always busy doing something.

Out of all his accomplishments, achievements, and successes, his family was his pride and joy.  No one could be any prouder than he. They were a blessing to him.

His entire life was built on the foundation of service and loyalty: first to God, his country, (which he never forgot those with whom he served until his dying day), family and others.

He was loved and respected by many and will truly be missed. 

Left to cherish his memories are his wife of 64 years, Joyce (Carnley) Bush, daughters, Teresa Bearden (Gary), Debbie Evans (Reggie), and son, John Bush (Rhonda); 3 sisters, Flora Coffman, Lois May Hood, and Ann Barnes; 2 brothers, Ricky (Maria), Jimmy (Shiela), 10 grandchildren, 21 great- grandchildren, and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends.