Teena Borth Tatom

Teena Tatom, 61, of Abilene, Texas, took her place at God’s side just before midnight on July 19, 2019, in the presence of her husband and sons.

Family visitation will be held from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. Monday, July 22, 2019, in the Dining Room at First Baptist Church, Abilene.    

Memorial services will be held at 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, July 23, 2019, at First Baptist Church, 1333 N. 3rd St., in Abilene, with Robert Morrison officiating. Services are under the direction of The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road, Abilene.

Teena was born in Ft. Worth, Texas, to Henry “Hank” Borth and Geneane Martin on September 30, 1957. She graduated Glen Rose High School in 1976. The daughter of a custom farmer and horse trader, she hauled hay and trained horses, her first love, before earning her Secretarial Certificate from Draughns Business College in 1978. She served as secretary for the District Attorney of the 220th Judicial District until 1984, and in 1986 she became the first in her family to earn a college degree, majoring in Criminal Justice at Tarleton State University. She met the love of her life at Texas Tech University School of Law, where she earned her JD in 1988. Her collegiate education should have taken 7 years, but Teena did it in 5 ½.

Teena married Kyle Tatom on September 5, 1987, and in 1988 moved to Abilene. She joined Glandon, Erwin, Scarborough, Baker & Choate, where she practiced law until the birth of her first child in 1990. She later became a Realtor, and for 18 years she helped people find home. She spent the last 13 years of her career with RE/MAX of Abilene and was inducted into the national RE/MAX Hall of Fame in 2016.

She dedicated a third of her life to serving on the Board of Directors for the Noah Project, aiding survivors of domestic violence. She also served on the Board of Directors at St. John’s Episcopal School, and on the Abilene ISD Career & Technology Committee.

Teena was the embodiment of motherly love, and eagerly gave it to anyone in need. Though she had only two children herself, she was mother to dozens upon dozens. By her example she taught us all to be loving and accepting, shown most clearly through her love for the son that was once her daughter. She saw the beauty and worth in every single person she met, every single day. Her endless love made the world a brighter place.

Teena is survived by her husband Kyle, sons Seth and Skyler, siblings Denise Teague, John Borth, Clint Borth, Tracy Mitchell, and Lucas Borth, her mother and stepfather, Steve and Geneane Martin, numerous aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces, and nephews, and more children than can be counted.

In lieu of flowers, she wished that donations be made in her memory to the Noah Project or the Taylor Jones Humane Society.

The family wishes to extend our sincerest thanks to Dr. Keith Robinson, Dr. Sandip Mathur, Dr. Anton Melnyk, and Dr. Joji Varghese, as well as the team at MD Anderson Cancer Center, for the incredible care she has been given.