Thomas Ray Jennings Sr.

Thomas Ray “Tommy” Jennings Sr., 83, of Eminence, Kentucky, made Heaven his home on Wednesday, October 29, 2025, at 2:08 p.m. at Baptist East Hospital in Louisville. He was surrounded by his "little wife", as he affectionately referred to her, his children and his longtime friend and Pastor.

Tommy was born on July 19, 1942, in Warsaw, Kentucky, to Pryor Austin Jennings and Minnie Lee (Hedges) Jennings. He was the youngest of four children and was preceded in death by his siblings Austin Jennings (Debbie), Beulah Warren (Daniel) and Thelma Raake.

As a fifteen-year-old boy growing up in Shelby County, Tommy met the love of his life, Lana “Geraldine” Browning of Henry County, on a blind date. The two were married on his 17th birthday in a small church on Jackson Road in Eminence. For the next 66 years, they built a beautiful life together—one filled with love, cherished memories, and a deep faith in God.

Together, they raised four children: Thomas “Ray” Jennings Jr. (Charlene), Timothy Scott Jennings, Susan Elaine Leopold, and Stacy Allison Broyles (Jason). Their family continued to grow, blessing them with 13 grandchildren, 25 great-grandchildren, and two more great-grandchildren expected to join their family in the coming year. To his children, he was Dad or Pap; to his grandchildren and great-grandchildren, he was affectionately known as Papaw or PopPop.

In his early years, Tommy worked at Ford Motor Company before joining his friend and brother-in-law at Browning Pontiac, GMC, Chevrolet in Eminence, Kentucky. Over the years, he held many positions there — from mechanic, building transmissions, to Body Shop Manager — earning respect for his skill, work ethic, and fun yet dedicated nature.

Tommy was a man who found joy in the simple things of life. He loved to play pool and golf, and he was talented at both. Saturdays often began with a family trip to Cracker Barrel, where he and Geraldine were beloved regulars — visiting six days a week. His favorite meal was the Kids’ Vegetable Plate with corn and hashbrown casserole, biscuits with blackberry preserves, and a diet Coke — and he always made sure the new waitresses knew the drink was included with the kids’ meal.

After lunch at Cracker Barrel, Tommy and his oldest son, Ray, usually found their way back to his house for a friendly game of pool — each determined to prove who really had the better shot that day.

Tommy gave his life to Christ in his late thirties, and those who knew him before and after Jesus witnessed a remarkable transformation. Susan, his oldest daughter, shared that it was her father who made God real to her — recalling that, at just ten years old, she realized that only God could make that kind of change in someone’s life. So after a tender conversation about God's grace and plan of salvation, Tommy led his daughter to Jesus right at their kitchen table in Pleasureville.

In time, Tommy followed the Lord’s call into ministry, becoming an ordained minister. He then founded Maranatha Assembly of God in Carrollton, Kentucky, where he served faithfully as pastor the next several years. He later became Associate Pastor at LaGrange Assembly of God, continuing to share the message that had changed his own life.

Even after retiring from Browning’s, Tommy couldn’t sit still. In addition to his ministerial duties, he began mowing lawns full-time — spending his days outdoors, listening to praise music or the Bible for hours as he worked, and taking every opportunity to share his faith.

Tommy began every morning with prayer. If you were his wife, child, grandchild, or simply on his prayer list, you were lifted up daily. His youngest daughter, Stacy, and her firstborn recently discussed the legacy that PopPop left to the family with his extraordinary faith in God, and the beautiful testimony that he lived out daily.

This year, Tommy's health slowed him down, so he was spending more time in his recliner, listening to audio Bible and reading along. Since the start of 2025, he read the entire Bible from Genesis to Revelation twenty times. He was absolutely full of God’s Word, and his family finds deep comfort in knowing that he is now in Heaven — meeting the authors of his favorite Book and walking the streets of gold with his loved ones who went before him to include his youngest son, Scott, who we are certain is showing him around. How beautiful Heaven must be!

A life well lived. A faith well kept. A race well run.

“Well done, good and faithful servant… Enter into the joy of your Lord.”

— Matthew 24:23

A celebration of Tommy's life will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025 at Heady-Radcliffe Funeral Home, 706 W Jefferson St, LaGrange, Kentucky with burial to follow in Pleasureville Cemetery. A time of visitation will be held on Friday evening from 4-7 and brunch and fellowship will take place on Saturday morning from 10:30am until the start of the service at the funeral home.

Memorial donations can be made to the LaGrange Assembly of God Church in memory of Tommy and his service to God and others.