Thomas F. "Tom" Pickens Jr.

Thomas "Tom" F. Pickens, Jr., age 95, of Hendersonville and formerly of West Frankfort (Franklin County), IL, passed away on Tuesday, August 13, 2024, at his home with his loving wife by his side. Born on April 13, 1929, in West Frankfort, IL, he was the son of the late Thomas Franklin Pickens, Sr. and Lois Pearl Sanders Pickens. Tom was a man of faith and lived by God's word. He was a member of the First Presbyterian Church of Hendersonville. He was a minister at the Church of God in Anderson, IN, and was a pastor of several churches throughout Indiana and Illinois. Tom was a State Coordinator for Pastor to Pastors for churches in Michigan and Western Pennsylvania where he would use his leadership skills to work and educate other pastors. Tom served on the National Board of Christian Education and served on the Missionary Board for the Warner Press Publishing Company. During his career, Tom also pastored services overseas and worked in Jamaica, the West Indies, and London, England. After his retirement, he had a passion for playing the guitar and the mandolin at jam sessions, even visiting nursing homes where he would provide music with his keyboard. Tom had a notable sense of humor that could make his family and friends smile. In addition to his parents, Thomas Franklin Pickens, Sr., and Lois Pearl Pickens, he was preceded in death by his siblings, Samuel Leon Pickens, Reva Cherrington, Kenneth Pickens, and Charles Pickens. Left to cherish his memory include his wife of 76 years, Dorothy Stagner Pickens; his daughter, Karen Ball (Graham); his son, Thomas "Tom" Gene Pickens; grandchildren, Suzanne Gang, David Ball, Jenny Potter, and Ashley Pickens; six great-grandchildren, Madison Gang, Alexander Gang, Carson Ball, Delaney Ball, Garrett Ball, and Preston Ball; and several nieces and nephews. At the request of the family, no services will be held. Shuler Funeral Home has the honor of serving the Pickens family.