Mr. Thomas E Wilson Jr.

Thomas E. Wilson Jr.
Thomas “Tommy” E. Wilson Jr., 92, of Port Neches, Texas, passed away on Saturday, December 3, 2022, at Advocate House in Port Neches. Visitation will be held from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM Thursday, December 8, 2022, at Levingston Funeral Home in Port Neches, Texas. Funeral services will follow at 11:00 AM. Pastor Robert Pitre will be officiating the services. Burial will immediately follow at Oak Bluff Memorial Park in Port Neches, Texas. Tommy was born in Barnum, Texas, on November 15, 1930, he was the son of Thomas Earl Wilson Sr. and Thelma Platt-Wilson. He was a resident of Port Neches for over 80 years, he was a 1949 graduate of Port Neches High School where he was the football team captain. He attended Lamar State College of Technology in Beaumont, Texas where he continued to play football which allowed him to travel and play in the 1949 Jr College Football Championship, an adventure he remembered fondly for the remainder of his life as he was part of the “winningest team Lamar ever had”. He graduated from Lamar in 1951 with a technical degree in diesel mechanics. He worked as a brick layer and stone mason for over fifty-years with Bailey Masonry and he was a member of the local chapter of the International Union of Bricklayers and Allied Craftsmen. He was a jack of all trades and master of some, he loved working with his hands and built many buildings with the help of family members, including the house he and his wife moved into as newlyweds which is still standing. He served and retired as a captain in the Army National Guard and Army Reserve where he was a member of the 111th Engineering Troop. Tommy was an avid outdoorsman and enjoyed hunting, fishing, gardening, and many other activities that kept him outside. He passed this love and knowledge of the outdoors on to both his daughter and granddaughter, and anyone else who was lucky enough to have the opportunity to learn from him. He was a member of the Mid-County boat club where he competed with his racing boat for many years when he was young. Later on in life he enjoyed taking his fishing boat out for a day of saltwater fishing. Tommy never allowed for a dull moment in his presence and was especially fond of telling what he would call “shady” jokes which were sometimes endearing, other times offensive, but always entertaining. One of his favorite places to be was Barnum, Texas where he and his wife purchased his grandfather’s original homestead which included many acres of piney forest where he was able to hunt and spend time with his family. He and Wanda were high school sweethearts and married June 27th 1952. They were married 58 years and had a marriage filled with love and adventure. After Wanda’s passing, Tommy was left to take care of her Tiger cat who became a beloved companion of his. This began his love of cats and which ensured he always had a fuzzy friend by his side. He was preceded in death by his wife, Wanda Rhodes Wilson of Port Neches, Texas; his sister, Geraldine Neal also of Port Neches. He is survived by his daughter Darla Hernandez and her husband Joe Hernandez; his granddaughter, Paige Ruth-Pritchard, and her wife Katie Ruth-Pritchard of Port Neches, Texas; his sister, Wessie Wilson of Nederland, Texas; his sister Margaret Bailey of Port Neches, Texas; his brother, Dr. James Buster “Bud” Wilson DDS and his wife Dottie Wilson of Bryan, Texas; and long time family friend and “other daughter” Charlotte Broussard of Port Neches.