Thomas Rogers Shanks Sr.

Cared for by his loving family and Kindred Hospice angels, Tommy Shanks passed away on November 11, 2022, at the age of eighty-five and at his home and small farm “Fur and Feathers.” The son of Ralph and Doris (Moseley) Shanks, Tommy died after a courageous six-year battle with cancer.

He is deeply mourned by his large family and by friends including retirees of the Montgomery Police Department, employees of the Montgomery Sheriff’s Department, members of the Dixie Division Military Vehicle Club, fellow board members of the Rolling Hills Lakes Volunteer Fire Department, and members of several historical and educational societies that he and his wife supported.

He is survived by his wife of forty-seven years, Bonnie (Miller), five children: Thomas Shanks Jr., Teresa Segrest, Donna Hood (Beau), Jason Shanks (Shannon), and Tiffani Hudgins (Jay); eight grandchildren: Ricky Hood, Hannah Rogers (Seth), Chandler Knockemus (Patrick), Craig Shanks (Samantha), Emily Glass (Joshua), Jonathan Hudgins, Ashleigh Shanks, and Jamie Segrest; four great-grandchildren: Skylar Segrest, Brantley Rogers, Oaklynn Carroll, and Olivia Shanks (plus Presley Knockemus who will arrive in the spring).

Known as “Grandaddy,” “Opa,” and as “Pop,” Tommy was a doting grandfather who loved to give his grands rides on his Gator, jeep, and four-wheeler, to take them on Dixie Division excursions, and to spend time playing with them in any way they chose.

He was “Big Brother” his sister Glenda Pipkin (deceased husband Leroy) and his half-sister Angeleon Mitchell (Bill). He was a cherished uncle to Glenda’s children Wade (Rhonda), Renee (Fred), and Dianne (Paul).

Born June 9, 1937, at his home in the Avant community, Tommy was a lifelong country boy who loved all things outdoors. During his life he was a musician playing tuba in school and guitar for dances, a stockcar racer on dirt tracks, a member of a local search and rescue team, an avid hunter and member of the Big Buck Hunting Club, a dedicated fisherman of all waters from local canals and lakes to The Bridge in Pensacola, a beekeeper, a Scout Master for Troop 222, a rock hound who made beautiful jewelry, an attendee of the FBI Academy, and the owner of a fully restored Korean War era MP jeep which he showed throughout the southeast with the Dixie Division. Through his church, he also served on two mission trips to Mexico.

Tommy was a member of the graduating class of ’57 of Georgiana High School and returned there for the school’s reunions until he was in his late seventies and his health made it impossible to do so any longer. He joined the Army National Guard after high school graduation and served stateside as a trainer during the Berlin Airlift.

When he moved to Montgomery, he worked for Paragon Press as a typesetter, and then graduated from the Montgomery Police Academy. Working for the MPD for twenty-four years, Tommy became a Homicide Detective and an Expert Witness in the field of fingerprint identification. When he retired from the MPD, he moved to the Montgomery County Sheriff’s Department to lead their ID Division as a civilian employee.

Tommy loved animals and had pets all of his life. As a teen, he cared for his registered Tennessee Walker “Thunder.” As a retiree, he not only dedicated himself to his four chihuahuas and to his herd of thirty-something goats, but also enjoyed his menagerie of peacocks, guineas, chickens, turkeys, cats, a special sidekick dog named Cowgirl, and a donkey named Sir Lucky Dipstick.

Tommy’s ashes were lovingly laid to rest by his wife and children at his beloved “Fur and Feathers” in a ceremony led by Chaplain Delta Outley of Kindred Hospice. Surrounded by family and friends who shared Tommy stories and memories, spirits were comforted by the sight of a beautiful white egret rising from Miller Pond and soaring across the sky as they sang. At the end of the service, the crowd enjoyed one final Tommy Fish Fry, organized and prepared by his children.

A proud father and grandfather and a patriotic American, Tommy was as quick to help as he was easy to love. A devoted husband who called his wife “Bride” for all forty-seven years, he was a kind and gentle man who displayed his faith in his actions.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that you donate in his memory to your favorite charity.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.Leak-MC.com for the Shanks family.