Thomas “Tom” Hudson Springate Jr., 72, of Oak Grove, Missouri, passed away Sunday, October 21, 2018. Memorial services will be held at 4:30 p.m. on Tuesday, October 30th at First Baptist Church of Oak Grove. The family will receive friends from 3:00 p.m. until service time at the church. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the American Heart Institute.
Tom was born February 27, 1946, in Denver, Colorado, the son of Thomas Hudson Sr. and Vivian (Rudy) Springate. He was a firefighter at the city of Independence for 40 years, retiring as a driver, and installed fences on the side. Tom was a member of First Baptist Church of Oak Grove, where he played the tenor sax in the orchestra for over 20 years. He enjoyed watching Nascar, reading, and crocheting. Tom was a chauffeur, gofer, and hitching post for Joyce.
His survivors include his wife of 33 years, Joyce Springate of the home; six children: Don Collins (Jen) of Independence, Tammy O’Donohue (Brian) of Blue Springs, MO, Jacquline Buso (Mark) of Oak Grove, Cindy Madison of Overland Park, KS, Jonathan Springate (Jill) of Kansas City, and Shana Lopez (Hector) of Grain Valley, MO; fourteen grandchildren; sixteen great-grandchildren; and three brothers: Bob Springate (Juanita) of Lee’s Summit, MO, Don Springate (Linda) of Jacksonville, FL, and Ron Springate (Linda) of Jefferson City, TN.
Arrangements: Royer Funeral Home, Oak Grove, MO 816-690-4441
Teresa W Noblitt
2 Nov 2020Although Joyce turned out to be the love of Tom’s life, I was fortunate to be his first wife and the mother of three of his children. And although our marriage did not last, my respect and admiration for him as a man and father never waivered. He was an honorable (and sometimes honery!) man whom I have always been proud to call a friend and who will be dearly missed by all those with whom he came in contact. – Teresa W Noblitt