Obituary of Thomas Stanley Slawson

Thomas Stanley Slawson passed away peacefully at the Fraser Health Center, Hilton Head Island, SC, on July 31, 2018 after a long and courageous battle with Parkinson’s disease. He was 84 years old. He is survived by his wife of 61 years, May Reid Slawson of Hilton Head Island; three children, Michael R. Slawson (Paulette) of Atlanta, GA, Sally Slawson Lynch (Todd) of Cary, NC, and Scott A. Slawson (Pam) of Hilton Head Island; and seven grandchildren, Kevin Lynch, Alexander Slawson, Kyle Lynch, Caroline Slawson, Sarah Slawson, Emily Slawson, and Helen Slawson. He is preceded in death by his sister Margaret Slawson Nesper. Tom was born in Detroit, MI to Charlotte Lincoln Slawson and Donald Sherman Slawson on February 12th, 1934. He attended Detroit’s Cooley High School, where he excelled in mathematics as well as football and baseball, and participated in youth activities at Grace Presbyterian Church, where he met his future wife, May Reid. Tom went on to earn a Bachelor’s degree in Industrial Engineering from Wayne State University and a Master’s degree in Business Administration from the University of Detroit. He served in the US Army before embarking on a long and successful career designing, establishing, and managing precision machining operations in the Detroit area and in Knoxville and Oak Ridge, TN. He and May retired to Tellico Village in Loudon, TN and recently moved to Hilton Head Island. Tom was a founding member of the Farragut Optimist Club, an organization that epitomized his outlook on life. He was a frequent coach of youth sports teams, and was an avid golfer, bowler, poker and bridge player, and church-league softball player. Tom served as an elder and as chairman of the building committee at Farragut Presbyterian Church. He was a member of the planning committee that established the City of Farragut in 1980. His family and friends will love and remember him always, especially for his sense of humor, his constant positive outlook and happy demeanor, and his humble nature. The family especially wishes to thank the staff of Fraser Health Center and Tidewater Hospice for the loving and thoughtful care they provided Tom during the last year of his life. A memorial service will be held at The Seabrook, Hilton Head Island, on Saturday, August 4th at 3 PM. A second memorial service will be held on September 1st at 2 PM at Farragut Presbyterian Church, Farragut, TN, where Tom was a founding member in 1976. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that contributions be made to the Michael J. Fox Foundation for Parkinson’s Research (michaeljfox.org) in memory of Tom.