Lonzie Cullom Claxton

May 29, 1920 – September 26, 2015

Cullom Claxton, age 95, faithful follower of Jesus Christ, went to be with Him Saturday morning, September 26, 2015. He is preceded in death by his devoted wife of 74 years, Evelyn Claxton, and has been eagerly waiting to join her since she left us in January. Cullom and Evelyn were still teenagers when they fell in love. God certainly smiled when, on a warm spring evening in 1940 on a bench by the tennis courts at Austin Peay College, Cullom asked Evelyn for her hand in marriage. It was one of the great moments in all eternity, and we know the angels rejoiced. Cullom loved his wife with a deep and passionate commitment for over 74 years.

Cullom was a flight instructor during World War II and went on to fly for American Airlines for 36 years. Flying was one of his greatest passions. Cullom will be greatly missed by his family, all of whom have enjoyed the benefits of his strong faith, his great wisdom, and his sense of humor.

He is survived by his children, Anne Houston (Sam), David Claxton, Jane Claxton, and John Claxton (Vickie). He is survived by his grandchildren, Sam Claxton (Beth), Amy Claxton (Ryan Chang), and Ben Claxton (Alissa). They grew up loving their PawPaw and always enjoying time spent with him. He is also survived by eight great grandchildren, Andrew, Abby, Isaac, Molly, Parker, Hannah, Lucy, and one more on the way. Cullom taught us by word and especially by example to love God, to study His word, to love your spouse, to do the right thing, to spend time communicating, to pray about everything, to enjoy family time, to laugh a lot, to make the best of a disappointing situation, to look forward to heaven, and much more. He is now in glory, free from the relentless suffering of his ataxia. He is now with our Lord Jesus, and with our mom, Evelyn. Dad, we love you. We miss you. We look forward to seeing you again and spending eternity with you.

The family would like to give special honor to Cullom’s daughter, Jane, for devoting the past few years of her life to caring for her parents. Thank-you, Jane. We also would like to thank the staff at McKendree Village for caring for Cullom with such kindness.

Visitation will be at 1:00 pm on Tuesday, September 29, 2015 at Hermitage Memorial Gardens, 535 Shute Lane, Old Hickory, TN, 37138. A memorial service will follow at 2:00 pm.