Thomas "Tom" Standard

Thomas Lloyd “Tom” Standard, 91, of Kingsland, passed away Thursday, November 2, 2023 in Abilene. Tom was born on February 16, 1932 in Tuscola to Max and Louise Standard. 

Visitation will be held on Monday, November 6, from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at The Hamil Family Funeral Home, 6449 Buffalo Gap Road. Funeral services will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, November 7 at Tuscola Methodist Church, 602 7^th St., Tuscola, TX 79562, with burial following at Tuscola Cemetery.

Tom was born in Tuscola but the family soon moved west to Bisbee AZ where work was plentiful in the large Phelps-Dodge Copper mines.  Only 11 miles from the Mexican border, he found plenty of mischief in the wild mining town of southern Arizona. As a kid he pedaled the hills and arroyos on his bike delivering telegrams for Western Union.   The Bisbee of the 1940s looks little like the quaint little artsy town it is today.   He’d tell stories about how he and his brother Bob were warned to stay well clear of Brewery Gulch on payday where it was not unusual for the beer and blood to flow.   In 1948 he set out from Bisbee to Phoenix to enlist in the Air Force.    He might have told Uncle Sam a little white lie about his birthday so he could enlist at 16 but he figured that was a better future than what Bisbee likely had in store.  He spent 5 years in the Air Force and was stationed in Washington DC where he met and married Audrey Johnson Standard on Halloween (it was payday!).   He was also stationed in Goose Bay Labrador and Hamilton Bermuda where the first of his four sons was born.   Tom was honorably discharged in 1953 and moved his young family back to Texas.  He soon joined Graybar Electric where he worked for the next 12 years in Abilene and Amarillo.  In 1966, he jumped at an opportunity to move back to Abilene working for GE/Hotpoint as a manufacturer’s sales representative covering large portions of central and West Texas.  By the end of 1967, Tom and Audrey now had four boys.  Armed with nothing more than a GED and a knack for sales, Tom was routinely the top Sales Rep winning awards and trips all over the world. 

The man could build anything with a hammer, saw and some nails.  He built a cabin on Lake Brownwood by hand (with some help from his neighbors, sons and Anheuser-Busch). When not driving kids back and forth to/from Little League and other various activities, all free time was usually devoted to the lake.   His boys could ski as soon as they could walk and relished the competition of who could wipe out in the most spectacular fashion.    Tom stayed at GE and in Abilene until his retirement in 1992.

Upon retirement, Tom moved to Kingsland, Texas where he spent most of his time fishing, traveling, and attending various games, graduations and events with his ever-expanding family.   In his later years, he and his wife Darlene settled into a comfortable routine in Kingsland.  He was a very active member of the VFW in Marble Falls, TX, serving as Vice Commander, and they were regular members in the community church in Kingsland.

Tom was a rock that his family and friends relied on for 70+ years.  He taught his boys to fight their own battles but, if needed, he fixed problems, bailed you out and lifted you up.   He adored his sister Jan; he had her back and she had (and still has) his.   His legacy is his four boys, grandkids and great grandkids.  To him, that was the whole purpose of life.   At almost 92, having squeezed all he could out of this world, his family told him it was alright to go on to the next.   Hell of a job Dad, you did good.

He was preceded in death by his parents and brother, Robert Standard.

He is survived by his wife Darlene Standard, of Kingsland, Texas, and his four sons: Tom Standard and wife Jackie of San Marcos, TX, Jim Standard and wife Susan of Spicewood, TX, David Standard and wife Lucy of Tuscola, TX, and Mike Standard and wife Nancy of Chester, NJ; sister, Jan Purcell of Tuscola, TX; as well as grandsons, John, Chris, Jake, Platt, Josh, and Will Standard; and granddaughters, Crystal Randolph and Caitlin Standard, and nine great-grandchildren.

The family would like to thank the doctors, nurses and staff at Encompass Health Rehabilitation Hospital, and Hendrick Medical Center South ER and ICU for their exceptionally gracious and professional care. 

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you donate to the American Cancer Society, the Alzheimer’s Association or the charity of your choice.