Tom was born in 1934 to the late Lois Wilkins Stowitts and Emory Voorhees Perrior Stowitts in Newport News, Virginia. Tom was predeceased by his brother, E. V. Perrior Stowitts, Jr. and sister, Patricia S. Schott. In 1951, Tom moved to Orange, Virginia where he met the love of his life Shirley Sheffield as a junior in High School. He attended both the Virginia Military Institute in Lexington, Virginia and the National Hardwood Lumber Association School in Memphis, Tennesee.
Tom married Shirley in 1957 and they moved to Roanoke Rapids, NC where Tom began working for Coastal Lumber Company of Weldon, NC serving the furniture industry. Transferring to High Point, NC where they lived for 16 years, the family then moved to Weldon, NC in 1974. After 45 years of service, Tom retired from Coastal and continued to consult actively in the lumber industry for several years. In 2010, Tom had the opportunity to employ his vast experience on the highways and byways of North Carolina and Virginia gained from a career on the road to work at the Virginia Welcome Center in Emporia, Virginia and share that knowledge with the many travelers encountered there.
Tom was a member of Weldon United Methodist Church (until its closure) where he held a range of leadership roles and subsequently attended Rosemary United Methodist Church. He served as a member of the Board of Halifax Academy and was a member of the National Hardwood Lumber Association.
Tom is survived by his wife Shirley; daughters Linda Weeks (husband Charles) and Perri Anderson (husband Kevin); grandchildren Tyler Anderson, Garrett Anderson, Nicole Weeks; niece Perrior Wren; and nephews Steve Schott and Tim Schott.
A celebration of Tom’s life will be held at 2:00 pm on Sunday, July 22, 2018 at Rosemary Methodist Church in Roanoke Rapids, NC. Family will receive friends at the church immediately following the service in the fellowship hall.
In lieu of flowers, donations in his memory may be made to the charity of your choice.
Arrangements by Brown - Wynne Funeral Home, 300 Saint Mary's Street Raleigh, NC.
