Carl Thomas Archbold, 79, of Atlanta, Georgia, passed away peacefully on Thursday, March 8, 2018. Born at Emory University Hospital on the morning of Sept. 7, 1938 to Grayce and Earl Archbold, he lived a large portion of his life in the Buckhead community of Atlanta. His was a life that was bountiful in love from and with God, family and friends.
Tom was a faithful servant of the Lord who attended Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church from just a few months after his birth until this year. He was baptized at the church in March 1949 and was a familiar site in the right balcony at Sunday services for decades to come. Beginning in a Peachtree Park home he shared with his loving parents and three siblings, he truly enjoyed life immensely from boyhood on. Throughout his journey, Tom found joy in the simplest environments and occasions, as he was always quick to celebrate the success and good fortunes of his family and friends. Tom was a top-line friend to many, indeed.
He was educated in Atlanta at R.L. Hope School and North Fulton High School, where he was regularly honored for his high achievements in the classroom, on the athletic field and for his civil service. Hs lifelong loyalty to his friends and classmates was fierce and his high passion for such could be measured in his decades-long contributions to the “Buckhead Boys,” the informal group consisting of men who grew up there in the 1940s, ‘50s and ‘60s and who made valuable contributions to putting Buckhead on Atlanta’s social and economic map. He was named Buckhead Boy of the Year in 1997, and as one of the group’s leaders, helped spearhead annual charitable events that benefited several local organizations, particularly Children’s Healthcare of Atlanta.
He attended Vanderbilt University on scholarship and played linebacker and center for Commodores’ football teams in the late 1950s and remained a contributor and devotee to Vandy football and the school throughout the remainder of his life. A member of the Phi Delta Theta fraternity, he graduated summa cum laude from the Nashville school in 1960. After serving in the U.S. Army upon graduation, he held upper level management positions with the Dairy Queen Corp., and later graduated from John Marshall Law School and was a longtime member of the State Bar of Georgia.
Four more than four decades until his retirement in 2015, Tom owned and operated Bullard’s Lockmaster & Safe Co., first in Midtown and later in Buckhead. The business helped keep Atlanta’s communities safe and secure. But also with Tom as host, Bullard’s eclectic décor provided a museum-like environment for its cast of regular visitors. Those ranged from nationally and locally known politicians, businesspeople and authors, to colorful street life characters of all shapes and walks of life, who all stopped by to talk politics, sports, the arts, or whatever, almost always resulting in rolling laughter around tales spun by Tom and his friends.
Tom, or to some friends, “Tommy” or “Arch,” loved more than anything spending time with family, especially playing horseshoes and badminton in his same Buckhead backyard home where he spent the first 18 years of his life and also the last three decades. He enjoyed travel, and attending church, athletic contests, plays, and museums; he collected art, books and antiques; he was an avid tennis player; and his knowledge of a wide range of history ran deep. He had a passion for dogs and had several throughout his life who offered great companionship. Life was Tom’s oyster, and he liked eating those (raw), too.
Tom was a loving soul and will be forever remembered by his wife and best friend, Rebecca (Shinkle). He had two loving sons, Thom Archbold, Jr., of San Diego, CA, and Hunt Archbold (Pamela), of Atlanta, and along with three grandsons he adored – Nate, Zach and Cooper - he is also survived by his brother Jerry (Val), of Duluth, GA; his sister Carla Fitzpatrick (Tom), of Roswell, GA; and his brother Larry (Mary Ann), of Newport Beach, CA; as well as many loving nieces, nephews and other family and friends. He was predeceased by his parents.
A memorial service will be held at 11 am on Saturday, March 10, 2018 at Second Ponce de Leon Baptist Church in Buckhead. A reception will follow at the church.
There will be a visitation from 5-7 p.m. on Friday, March 9, 2018, at H.M. Patterson & Son, located at 4550 Peachtree Rd, NE, Atlanta, GA 30319 . In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the Georgia Chapter of the American Parkinson Disease Association at https://www.apdaparkinson.org/community/georgia/.
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