Thomas Holcomb

Thomas Sterling Holcomb was born October 7, 1927 to Sally Muriel (McLaren) Holcomb and Sterling Dennison Holcomb on the Goodnight Ranch, near Woodson, in Throckmorton County, Texas. He entered his heavenly home October 1, 2025 while living in Friendswood, Texas.
He graduated from Bryan High School in 1945, during which he was in choir, football, and the cheerleading squad. His favorite subjects were Math, Music and English. After high school he attended Texas A&M, where he was studying to become an engineer, where, in the last month of his Senior year, he heard the call to enter God's service as a Pastor. After consulting with his Uncle Tom Holcomb of a change in plans, his uncle assured him that, "If God called you to it, then you BETTER do it"! Tom graduated from A&M in 1949 and entered his pastoral studies at Southern Methodist University. Soon after he met a sweet, beautiful lady named Florence Park at a college dance. They married in 1951 and he graduated from SMU in 1952, and so began their team work of life long ministry to many churches throughout the Texas Conference of the United Methodist Church and even many places around the world. Tom preached for 38 years and "retired" at First United Methodist in Orange, Texas in 1990. They then established their retirement home at Elkins Lake in Huntsville.
During his active years he and Florence traveled on numerous mission trips such as Africa, where they helped establish water wells for children to have clean water and India where they met Mother Theresa and served starving children there. They also personally traveled to Australia, New Zealand and England, an especially favorite location where Tom loved tracing his ancestry and the journeys of John Wesley. He was invited by a local Methodist Bishop to come spend time preaching in England after he retired. So, in 1990, he and Florence moved to St Leonards-on-Sea in the borough of Hastings in East Sussex, England where he was a circuit preacher for three Methodist churches until 1992. Then he was diagnosed with throat cancer, at which time returned home for surgery. After recovery, he visited laryngectomy patients in local Houston area hospitals to pray with and encourage them through their life change. He also served as president of the Texas Laryngectomee Association for several years traveling throughout the USA offering messages of hope and healing. He was certainly a testament to his belief in the words he wrote to his grandchildren: " (I desire) to be an example to everyone that a handicap does not mean you are useless".
Tom found joy in many activities outside church – he loved deer hunting and fishing and could often be found on a lake or river with church members. And in his typical competitive spirit, would have a great time trying to beat the other guys for the first fish or the biggest. He loved playing domino's and at many family reunions he could be found at a table with his cousins and uncles playing 42; or at home he greatly loved playing Train and Chicken Foot with the grandkids. He also loved to play golf and played many a game with family and friends.
But his greatest joys were loving people and singing. Always ready with a big smile and a "high-five", he loved greeting the people at church, restaurants, stores, the park or wherever he was. He never stopped serving people – even at the care facility where he lived the last few years, where he would greet the caregivers with a big grin and a hot cup of coffee. They loved him dearly and were always joyful to see his big grin and his two-thumbs up! And he loved singing! Anyone who saw him sing knew he had a voice in his heart! Many said watching him sing filled their hearts. He was a living example of Psalm 100, "Make a joyful noise to the Lord"!
He also loved the kids and looked forward to going to Lakeview church camp and leading the kids in singing the great camp songs and showing them how much Christ loves them. Thorough out his life that love continued and wherever he went he never hesitated to stop and say hello to children and they would often return his big grin and high-fives!
And last, but most definitely not least, Tom loved spending time with other preachers. He loved encouraging them, and being encouraged, when they were going through rough times, and he equally loved cheering them on, and being cheered on, when times were going well.
Tom was preceded in death by the love of his life for 59 years, Florence (Park) Holcomb; mother, Sally Holcomb; father Sterling Dennison Holcomb; son Thomas Burrel Holcomb; sisters Juanita Harlan and Vanita Gordon and grandson Joseph Williams.
Tom is survived by daughters Sharon Welch (Randy), and FloEllyn Williams; sisters Elizabeth Hill and Lola Hensley; Grandchildren Jude Williams (Amy), Jonathan Welch, Natanyah Rinke (Abram), Naomi Seidel, Paul Welch (Michelle), and Teresa Welch; and a whole host of great-grandchildren, nieces and nephews.
A celebration of life will be held Friday, October 17 at 11:00 AM at Friendswood Methodist Church, 110 N. Friendswood Drive, Friendswood, TX 77546.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests you consider donating in his memory to one of Tom's favorite ministries (Missions, Youth, Choir) at Friendswood Methodist Church (friendswoodmethodist.org); or to the Texas Laryngectomee Association (www.texastla.com).
Tom will always be a great example of persevering, as stated in Luke 8: 15: "But the seed on good soil stands for those with a noble and good heart, who hear the word, retain it, and by persevering produce a crop". There is no doubt of Jesus' response: "Well done, good and faithful servant"! (Matt. 25:21)
There's not a day goes by that I don't see you;
You live on in all the better parts of me.
Until I'm standing with you in the sun,
I'll fight this fight and this race I'll run
Until I finally see what you can see.
(Lyrics excerpt from "Scars In Heaven" by Casting Crowns)