Thomas Joseph Vanderhorst

Thomas Joseph Vanderhorst, age 82, of Loganville, GA passed away on Tuesday, December 23, 2025. Thomas was born in New Bremen, Ohio on August 9, 1943, to Thomas and Edna Vanderhorst. He is survived by his loving wife Patsy (Renfro) Vanderhorst, his three children Rebecca Yount (husband, Tim), Christina Assante (late husband, Michael), Tom Vanderhorst, Jr. (wife, Rebecca), and ten grandchildren. He is also survived by his brother Jim Vanderhorst (wife, Chris) and his sisters, Carol Jones (late husband, Ron), Theresa Seewer (husband, Denny), and Jane Vanderhorst. Thomas was the oldest of five children. He graduated from St. Mary's High School and later earned a bachelor's degree in Horticulture at The Ohio State University and was a member of the Alpha Gamma Rho Fraternity. Upon his graduation Tom attended Officer's Candidate School in Newport Rhode Island and was commissioned as a Flight Officer in 1966. He then trained in flight school at Naval Air Station Pensacola, where he met his wife, Patsy. He proudly served his country during the Vietnam War as a pilot of P-2 Neptunes and P-3 Orions. He was honorably discharged from the Navy in December 1971. He then spent 30 years as a Delta Air Lines pilot and loved every minute of it. He and Patsy settled in Newnan, GA, where they lovingly raised their three children. Thomas loved God and lived a life that exemplified such by teaching Bible studies, serving his church, counseling others, and sharing the gospel whenever he could. He was a member at Grace New Hope in Lawrenceville, GA. He took great pride in establishing a hobby farm from the ground up, finding joy in the daily work and the life it brought to the land. From harvesting pecans, planting an orchard, to raising emus – you'd often find him practicing his strong work ethic and love of the outdoors on the farm. After retirement he continued gardening and found joy teaching and loving on his grandkids. A Funeral Service Honoring the Life of Thomas will be held on Saturday, January 3, 2025, at Grace New Hope Church 1766 New Hope Rd, Lawrenceville, GA 30045 at 11:00AM with Pastor Randy Rainwater officiating. Private Interment will be held at Georgia National Cemetery. The family will receive friends on Friday, January 2nd from 1:00PM-3:00PM & 5:00PM-7:00PM at the church. If you have a story or memory you would like to share with the family, bring a hard copy to the visitation or funeral, mail it to Becky Yount, 738 Templeton Drive, Loganville, GA 30052, or send an email to tjvandymemory@gmail.com. In lieu of flowers, Memorial Donations via check can be made to: - Vet to Vet of Lawrenceville, C/O Vicki Mobley, 2727 Blue Stern Path, Loganville, GA 30052 - The Lydia Project, P.O. Box 30803, Bellingham, WA 98228. You can also donate to The Lydia Project via this link https://app.aplos.com/aws/give/TheLydiaProject/www.lydiacambodia.com Condolences may be sent or viewed at www.wagesfuneralhome.com. Tom M. Wages Funeral Service, 120 Scenic Hwy., Lawrenceville, GA 30046 (770-963-2411) – Lawrenceville Chapel has been entrusted with the arrangements. To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Thomas, please visit our floral store.