Thomas Korn

Thomas Francis Korn, born February 18, 1947, passed away peacefully on March 5, 2026.

Tom was born as an only child to Thomas Francis Korn Sr. and Dolores Kathleen Korn and was raised in Abington, Pennsylvania. He graduated from Abington High School in 1965 and went on to attend Memphis State University, where he joined the Kappa Alpha Order and gained many lifelong brothers. He graduated in 1970 with a degree in Marketing.

After earning his degree and before launching his own business, Tom was a high performer and earned many professional accolades with organizations like General Mills, Chiquita Brands, National Sea Products and Sara Lee Corporation, where he was named Sales Manager of the Year in 1982.

In 1996, Tom seized an opportunity to exclusively broker consumer packaged food products to Walmart. Starting with only himself, his loyal business partner, and a fax machine, Tom grew the company into a major enterprise with over 300 employees. Upon retirement in 2002, Tom sold the company to his management team in order to appreciate and reward their loyalty and dedicated work.

Tom married his lifelong love, Pamela Baer Korn, in 1982. Together, they built a loving family, raising their sons Kyle Korn, Mark Korn, and Bradley Boone. Over the years they lived in Dunedin, Florida; Fayetteville, Georgia; and Germantown, Tennessee before moving to East Tennessee in 2002 into Rarity Bay. Among the backdrop of the Smoky Mountains, they formed friendships, community and many new joyous memories with those they came to love.

Never truly retiring, Tom was deeply committed to service and philanthropic work throughout his time on this earth. He served on the boards of Sweetwater Hospital and Monroe County Boys & Girls Club and he helped to form the Rarity Bay First Responders. Tom and Pam also founded the KLASS Center at the University of Tennessee, Knoxville. This program was a first of its kind serving children and students with learning disabilities, helping hundreds of families throughout the East Tennessee region.

At Rarity Bay, Tom was a member of the Men's Golf Association, as he was an avid golfer and really enjoyed the sport. Also, Tom and Pam were members of the Rarity Bay Yacht Club as boating was a favorite pastime.

Tom was a proud husband, father, grandfather and friend. He is survived by his wife of 43 years, Pamela Korn, and their three sons, Kyle Korn, Bradley Boone, and Mark Korn. He is also survived by his daughter-in-law, Holly Korn, and his grandsons, Carter Korn and Ryder Korn.

Tom was an incomparable man in countless ways. His sense of humor, personality, generosity and genuine interest in others were truly remarkable and will be missed by many.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Tom's memory to The Tunnel to Towers Foundation (T2T) which honors 9/11 victims by providing mortgage-free homes to Gold Star families, fallen first responder families with young children, and severely injured veterans. https://t2t.org/donate/ or call 718-987-1931 to donate. st. jude's hospital for Children was another cherished charity and you can donate here https://www.stjude.org/ and click on DONATE NOW.

Tom and Pam's friends are encouraged to attend his Celebration of Life on Saturday, March 21 from 2 to 5 PM at the Korn home, 130 Bay Pointe Drive in Rarity Bay.

If you would like to send a sympathy card or a note of condolence, please send it to:

Mrs. Tom Korn and Family, 130 Bay Pointe Drive, Vonore, TN 37885