Thomas Edgar Sorrell

Thomas Edgar Sorrell was born May 5, 1938, in Randolph County, Arkansas. His parents, Audie and Tola Sorrell, had eight children and Thomas was their third child. His family moved across the state line to Missouri when it was time for him and his siblings to go to school, and he had fond memories of growing up on the farm and playing with cousins.

In 1955 the Gaines family moved to Missouri from Colorado and began attending the Church of God. Clayton Gaines began dating Tommy's sister Eva Lou, and Tommy soon took a liking to Clayton's sister Myrtle. He worked up the courage to ask her out for ice cream, and they were together for the rest of their lives. Thomas and Myrtle were married March 16, 1957; they stayed married for sixty-eight years until Myrtle's death in 2025.

Tommy farmed, raised hogs, sold Watkins products and insurance, and around 1978 he followed Myrtle into the medical field and became an EMT. Tommy and Myrtle made a great team working together on the ambulance for several years.

In the final years of Myrtle's life she became bedfast, and Tommy was always ready and willing to care for her. Their granddaughter Julie says that when she was caring for Myrtle, she could wake Tommy out of a sound sleep to help move Myrtle and he would jump up immediately and without compliant. As he cared for her he would say, "She's my treasure!" When the decision was made to move Myrtle to Golden Age Nursing Home he was ready to go too so he would not be separated from her. During that time they won the hearts of many care givers who took such good care of them in their golden years.

Family was very important to Tom and Myrtle they loved seeing and making memories with all their children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. While in the nursing home Tommy would light up whenever those "Sorrell boys" would come to visit.

He was preceded in death by his wife Myrtle, son Dwane, and three grandchildren: Vicky Sorrell, Rodney Sorrell, and Paige Sorrell. He is survived by his daughter-in-law Connie Sorrell, daughter Marie Benson and husband Earl, daughter Martha Zacharias and husband Ron, son Dale Sorrell and wife Lisa, and 16 grandchildren and 26 great-grandchildren, all of whom were dearly loved.